BBC Monitoring

Within its 1500 gmt newscast on 5 January, Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic carries the following reports:

- "The General Secretariat of the Cabinet has congratulated Iraqis on the advent of the 87th anniversary of the inception of the valiant Iraqi Army. In a statement, a copy of which Al-Iraqiyah obtained, the General Secretariat of the Cabinet said that tomorrow, Sunday, will be observed as an official holiday by all government organizations and departments in Iraq."

- "The most recent report issued by the Iraqi Red Crescent Society has indicated that 45,000 Iraqis returned from Syria to Iraq between September and December last year, and that most of the returnees headed for the capital, Baghdad. Observers following Iraqi affairs affirmed that the stabilization of the security situation in Iraq at present, the growing enhancement of the security services, and the tribesmen's cooperation in safeguarding security and stability have effectivel! y contributed to the homecoming of Iraqis in such large numbers."

- "The Multinational Force has announced that it killed nine terrorists and captured 12 others in security operations carried out in central and northern Iraq. A statement issued by this force indicated that these operations were targeted against elements of the terrorist Al-Qa'idah Organization north of the Diyala River basin area and in the city of Mosul in the Ninawa Governorate. The operations also resulted in confiscating large quantities of weapons and ammunition that were in the possession of terrorists there."

- "An official source in the Al-Anbar police has announced that the police force captured three terrorists in the Nazzal neighbourhood of southern Al-Fallujah. The source added that the aforesaid terrorists were captured while they were planting explosive charges in this neighbourhood."

Within its 1700 gmt newscast on 5 January, Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah Television in Arabic carrie! s the following reports:

- "President Jalal Talabani and Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Mas'ud Barzani have held a joint news conference in the city of Al-Sulaymaniyah at which they discussed various local and international issues. Talabani and Barzani underlined their support for the national unity government represented by Prime Minister Nuri Kamil al-Maliki and stressed the need to continue the efforts to work out solutions to outstanding issues."

This is followed by a report by Al-Iraqiyah correspondent Sadiq al-Shammari, who says: "At a news conference held in Al-Sulaymaniyah that brought together President Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan Region President Mas'ud Barzani, the president affirmed the Kurdistan Alliance's eagerness to continue the dialogue and achieve understanding with Al-Maliki's government, and that there is no intention whatsoever to withdraw from the government. Meanwhile, he condemned the criminal incident that took place in Diyarbakir in Turkey, considering it a conspiracy aimed at hurting ties between the ! Kurds and Turkey."

Then, Talabani is shown saying: "We are for dialogue and negotiations with brother Nuri al-Maliki to achieve common results on the issues that we need to agree on [words indistinct] now, the Kurdistan Alliance has no intention whatsoever to withdraw from the current government. We condemn and denounce this terrorist operation and view it as one that is hostile to the Kurdish people first and foremost. It is a customary crime in several areas in the Middle East. We regret this, we offer our condolences to the relatives of the martyrs, and we believe that such actions are criminal actions committed by groups that seek to hurt Kurdish-Turkish ties."

- "Aidan White, chief of the International Federation of Journalists, has held a series of meeting with several Iraqi political and media figures for discussions on the means of protecting journalists. White, who is visiting Baghdad at the invitation of the Journalists Association, affirmed, during h! is meetings, the importance of supporting Iraqi journalists and enhanc ing the federation's role in backing the Iraqi media." Then, the TV report shows separate meetings between White and both Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi and Shaykh Khalid al-Atiyah, first deputy speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.

- "The Foreign Ministry has condemned the terrorist act of sabotage in Diyarbakir in Turkey in which dozens of innocent civilians were killed or wounded. In a statement, a copy of which Al-Iraqiyah obtained, the ministry affirmed that such terrorist acts against civilians in Turkey, Algeria, Pakistan, or Iraq are solely aimed at causing destruction, ruination, and indiscriminate killing, which requires a firm confrontation of terrorism and criminals. This is the joint responsibility of all countries which need to cooperate, coordinate, and engage in joint action to defeat terrorism."

- "Dr Ibrahim al-Ja'fari, member of the Council of Representatives, has affirmed the importance of fraternal ties between Iraq and th! e UAE, as well as the need to further enhance them in all areas. This came during a visit Dr al-Ja'fari is making to the UAE and meetings he held with several officials there."

- "The Ministry of Defence has announced that it received 110 armoured vehicles under a joint agreement signed with NATO. A ministry source affirmed that NATO troops sent a batch of these vehicles to support the Iraqi troops and create an armoured force under a joint agreement signed by the two sides."

- "The police chief in the Ninawa Governorate has announced that a joint army-police force defused a car bomb in central Mosul. In a press statement, Police Commander Brigadier General Salih Muhammad Hasan indicated that joint forces managed, at a late hour last nig ht, to defuse a car bomb in the Al-Dawwasah area, which was laden with two barrels of the highly explosive material, TNT."

- "The security forces in Diyala have managed to purge the Al-Hashimiyat area of terrorist cliqu! es. A security source affirmed that the security operation also result ed in seizing control of large weapons and ammunition depots, not to mention car bombs readied for explosion."

This is followed by a report by Al-Iraqiyah correspondent Ahmad al-Dulaymi, who says: "As part of the operations being carried out by reinforced Iraqi security troops in Diyala, these troops managed to purge the Al-Hashimiyat area. The operation resulted in unearthing weapons and ammunition caches belonging to the terrorist Al-Qa'idah Organization."

Source: Al-Iraqiyah TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 1500-1700 gmt 5 Jan 08