Nuri al-Maliki

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey wanted Iranian gas to be transported to Europe via the planned Nabucco pipeline "when conditions allow," despite U.S. opposition. European Union governments and Turkey were to sign transit agreements in Ankara later on Monday for the EU and U.S.-backed Nabucco pipeline, which aims to reduce Europe's energy dependence on Russia by transporting gas from the Caspian and Middle East through the planned pipeline from 2014. "We desire Iranian gas to be included in Nabucco when conditions allow," Erdogan told a gathering of Nabucco partner countries and regional countries including Iraq and Georgia. ... Read Full Story

The withdrawal of US forces from Iraqi cities won't affect security in the country, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki assured US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi in Baghdad on Sunday. "We don't need big numbers of (US) military forces inside the cities after we get control of them," Maliki said in a statement after meeting with Pelosi, who arrived in the Iraqi capital unannounced earlier in the day. "The responsible withdrawal (of US troops) will not affect the security situation," Maliki added. The visit of Pelosi, known for her strong anti-war stance, comes as US troops prepare to withdraw from the country's urban areas ... Read Full Story

Former Iraqi trade minister Abdel Falah al-Sudani was arrested on Saturday after his plane was dramatically ordered back to Bagdhad as he tried to flee the country in the wake of a graft scandal. Sudani was on board a flight to Dubai, which authorities turned back to the capital so that he could be arrested, said Sabah al-Saedi, head of parliament's corruption and integrity commission. "The minister was trying to escape from justice and was headed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," said Saedi. "After some phone calls were made to judicial authorities and the airport, the airplane was turned back and the minister ... Read Full Story

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Media watchdogs have urged Iraq's government to end harassment and intimidation of journalists and push for the release of a freelance photographer working for Reuters, who is being held by the U.S. military. In an open letter to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory said Iraqi media had made significant strides since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 but now faced tough challenges. "Along with that progress Iraqi journalists have paid a steep price," the groups said in the letter sent Wednesday. "In recent months, our organizations have documented a number of assaults and ... Read Full Story

Iraqi Trade Minister Abdel Falah al-Sudani has resigned amid allegations of corruption and embezzlement linked to the nation's food assistance programme, the prime minister's office said on Monday. "The prime minister has agreed to accept the resignation of Abdel Falah al-Sudani, the minister of trade," it said in a statement. Sudani, a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shiite Dawa faction, had already been questioned by parliament over claims relating to imports for Iraq's food rationing programme. The minister was accused of importing expired commodities -- sugar -- and procuring illegal contracts as well as failing to fight corruption in his ministry. Sudani's resignation ... Read Full Story