US Commander in Northern Iraq Asks for More Troops

By Meredith Buel Washington 11 May 2007

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The U.S. commander in northern Iraq says he does not have enough manpower to secure the increasingly violent Diyala province. Major General Benjamin Mixon made the remarks to reporters at the Pentagon by videoconference from Iraq. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.

General Mixon commands the area of Iraq that includes Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.

Diyala is a large, ethnically mixed region that has experienced some of the worst violence since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Mixon says the province is a focus for al-Qaida terrorists and contains a large number of Sunni insurgents that receive support from the local population.

The general says he needs more troops to secure the area.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon (l) and U.S. Army Col. Trogdon speak with Pentagon reporters via satellite, providing an update on ongoing security operations in Iraq, 9 Mar 2007

"I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala province to get that security situation moving," he said. "We have plans to put additional forces in that area. I can't discuss the details of that. We have put additional forces in there over the last couple of months, but I am going to need additional forces in Diyala province to get that situation to a more acceptable level so the Iraqi security forces will be able in the future to handle that."

The general says he currently has about 3,500 U.S. troops in Diyala province, with about 10,000 Iraqi soldiers and several thousand Iraqi police.

Mixon says Diyala's government is so ineffective at providing services that it could be described as nonfunctioning.

The general says ministries in Baghdad are to blame because they are to slow to provide support to provincial governors and Iraqi security services.

"After nearly eight months on the ground I am concerned about the overall progress of our Iraqi security forces and the governmental processes," he added. "Progress is being made in selected areas, although slow. At times we have episodic setbacks and unnecessary roadblocks to security and governance, but we continue to move forward."

President Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq, primarily to help calm sectarian violence in Baghdad.

General Mixon says insurgents, facing the crackdown in the Iraqi capital, have migrated to Diyala and other provinces.

The general says providing security and improving local government services are critical components for defeating the insurgency.

"The most important and difficult task we have is to improve the Iraqi government capacity, particularly at the provincial level," he explained. "That will lead the people to have confidence in their government. The confidence of the people in that government will enhance our security operations and enable us to ultimately defeat this enemy."

General Mixon says showing Iraqis that their government can provide for them "will be the most powerful weapon against the insurgency."

Nigerian Opposition Criticizes Sale of Oil Blocks

By Gilbert da Costa Abuja 11 May 2007

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The outgoing Nigerian government is entertaining bids in a last-minute auction on Friday of 45 oil exploration licenses. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa in Abuja reports that the plan is going ahead despite a court order not to sell two of them and widespread criticism over timing and transparency.

A resident of Nigeria's oil-rich delta region looks at flames from an oil company's gas flare (Jan 2007)

The Nigerian government says the sale of new oil drilling rights will grow reserves and production capacity, as well as generate income and attract new investment.

Nigeria expects to generate $500 million in signature bonuses alone from the auction.

The West African country, the world's eighth biggest exporter of crude oil, sits atop a colossal reserve of oil and gas.

The auction has attracted great interest from oil companies around the world despite ongoing violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Energy Minister Edmund Daukoro has promised the auction will be fair and transparent. But analysts say the exercise is mostly for show and that the real decisions have been made in advance, with Asian companies most favored.

The timing of the bid is also causing controversy in Nigeria because it comes in the last days of the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is scheduled to hand the office to president-elect Umaru Yar'Adua on May 29.

Lai Mohammed of the opposition Action Congress party says the process lacks legitimacy and credibility.

"We believe that in the twilight of an administration, it is questionable and quite improper for you to be auctioning oil blocks," he said. "What are you going to achieve by auctioning these oil blocks in less than three weeks to your departure?"

"You are only making sure that your cronies and friends are rewarded for loyalty. We believe it is indecent to hawk off billions of dollars worth of oil blocks in their twilight of their departure," he continued.

Ironically, Mr.Obasanjo revoked exploration rights that his predecessor granted days before Mr. Obasanjo took over in 1999.

In the current case, the authorities have ignored a court order suspending the sale of two of the 45 blocks until the court rules on a dispute between the oil ministry and Shell Oil Company.

Bidding was introduced in 2005 to encourage transparency and openness in the country's oil sector. Before, oil blocks were allocated on a discretionary basis, a process fraught with widespread abuse.

Eleven of the blocks are located in deep water offshore. Ten are in shallow waters. Thirteen are onshore in the troubled Niger Delta, and 11 are in the little-fancied inland basins.

VOASE0511_In the News

11 May 2007

Sarkozy's Economic Plan for France May Depend on June Elections for Parliament
Chirac will leave office on Wednesday. Blair announces he will resign June 27. And Turkey looks for a solution to its presidential crisis.

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Nicolas Sarkosy and Tony Blair meet in Paris on May 11, 2007

Nicolas Sarkozy will take office Wednesday as president of France. He supports labor reforms, tax cuts and strong controls over crime and illegal immigration. As interior minister he was known for strongly worded conservative positions on law and order. Now he proposes to liberalize the French economy to better compete in world markets.

Some say his proposed economic reforms could lead to labor unrest. The plan includes a right to work more than thirty-five hours a week.

Before anything, he will need the support of parliament. Legislative elections are in June.

People talk about "Sarkozy the American" because he supports the United States. But the new president says he is going to make the French people proud again of their nation.

Two-term President Jacques Chirac is retiring after twelve years in office.

The president-elect was the candidate of the ruling party, the Union for a Popular Movement. In Sunday's election, Nicolas Sarkozy easily defeated Socialist candidate Segolene Royal with fifty-three percent of the vote.

But his election led to three nights of violence during protests in Paris and other cities. Hundreds of people were arrested.

Mister Sarkozy's election raises concerns for supporters of Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union. He is against it. Instead he proposes a "Mediterranean Union" as a bridge between Europe and Africa. The idea is to include Turkey and other Muslim nations, as well as European Union members along the Mediterranean, including France.

Still, officials from Turkey and the European Union say they will push ahead with membership talks. The European Union has also urged patience as Turkey seeks a new president.

Parliament voted Thursday for a proposed constitutional amendment to let the Turkish people elect a new president directly. The ruling AK party proposed it. This comes after the party failed to get parliament to elect Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

Opposition parties boycotted the vote. They say he is an Islamist threat to the separation of religion and government in Turkey -- a charge he denies.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was to leave office next week. Now he is expected to stay until a new parliament is elected in July. The ruling party wants to hold a presidential election at the same time.

In other news, Tony Blair announced this week when he will resign after ten years as Britain's prime minister. The date is June twenty-seventh. His Labor Party is expected to elect Gordon Brown, currently the treasury chief.

Tony Blair's popularity suffered because of his support for the Iraq war. But he will also be remembered for British economic gains and, among other things, for his work on the Northern Ireland peace agreement.

This week, a government was inaugurated in which Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders will share power in the British province. The hope is for a lasting end to thirty years of conflict.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Jill Moss. I'm Steve Ember.