As part of the continuing drawdown of American troops in Iraq, about 12,000 military personnel will leave Iraq by September and will not be replaced, Maj. Gen. David Perkins told reporters at a press conference Sunday.

That decrease includes two brigade combat teams, in addition to support elements in logistics, engineering, transportation and other fields. Furthermore, about 4,000 British troops will also leave Iraq in the next few months, a move that has been expected for some time.

Although violence has gone down dramatically in Iraq, attacks in the last week show the continuing fragility of the situation here. At least 25 people were killed Sunday by a suicide bomber who struck those lined up at a police academy in Baghdad. On Thursday, a car bomb in Hilla, located south of Baghdad, killed 13 people.

Gen. Perkins said as part of a security agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that went into effect on Jan. 1, 74 American bases will be closed or handed over to Iraqi control by the end of March. He said that although U.S. troops will no longer be staying in cities by the end of June, American forces will still conduct missions in urban areas.

U.S. President Barack Obama recently announced an accelerated schedule for American withdrawal, with combat troops leaving Iraq by the end of August next year. A residual force of between 35,000 to 50,000 troops would remain in Iraq to train and support Iraqi security forces until the end of 2011.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said although Iraqi security forces are not currently ready to handle all of their responsibilities, they should be ready by the time America completely withdraws from Iraq at the end of 2011.

He added that America’s shifting focus to other hot spots like Afghanistan and Pakistan showed that Iraq is a normalizing country that is able to stand on its own. “The fact that Iraq is not in the spot light anymore is a good thing,” Mr. Dabbagh said.

Gen. Perkins said although the U.S. military footprint in Iraq would be smaller, it would not leave any gaps in security and would reposition troops based on where they are needed the most. He added that while al Qaeda in Iraq has been severely damaged, the extremist group is not complacent and is still “desperate to maintain a presence in Iraq.”

U.S. embassy spokesman Adam Ereli emphasized that America’s relationship with Iraq does not just pertain to security issues. In addition to the security agreement, the U.S. and Iraq also signed a strategic framework pact that outlines areas for cooperation in culture, education, business and other fields.

Iraq Criminal Court Issues Verdicts to Former Regime Members

Iraq’s special criminal court acquitted Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein’s former vice president, in its most significant not-guilty verdict of a series of prosecutions for crimes against humanity, Azzaman reported. The court separately sentenced Mr. Hussein’s former secretary and minister of information to life sentences in prison while issuing a death sentence to Ali Hasan Al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali.” It’s the third death sentence that Mr. Al-Majid received after he was convicted in two other cases for crimes against humanity. Article in Arabic only.

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Iraq Signs Contract with German Firm to Build Housing Units

In another indication of increasing stability in Iraq, an Iraqi investment commission signed a contract with a German construction firm to build 2,000 housing units in oil-rich Missan province in southern Iraq, Baghdad’s Azzaman daily reported. “We have a lot of oil, cheap and abundant labor, and besides we generally trust German firms,” Ali Warid, the commission’s chairman, said. Iraq had used Western construction companies In the past for different housing projects, in Baghdad and elsewhere.

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Court Rules in Murder Case of Yemeni Jew

A Yemen court awarded a Jewish family $27,500 for the murder of their relative by a Yemeni citizen, the Yemen Observer reported. The court ruled that the murderer be placed in a psychotic sanatorium, but the father of the victim is trying to appeal the verdict, demanding a death sentence. Most Jews were expelled from Arab countries after the founding of Israel, but Yemen still has a Jewish community of approximately 300 people. “The verdict will encourage more killings of Jews,” declared the rabbi in of the Jewish community in Amran, the city in northern Yemen where the court is based.

For more than two months, the Iraqi parliament has been squabbling over who will be the next speaker of the legislative body, who has traditionally been a Sunni.

Now lawmakers are waiting for the country’s Supreme Court to rule on how many votes are needed to select the next speaker. About a week ago, 136 lawmakers of the 230 who were present chose the Iraqi Islamic Party nominee Ayad al-Sammaraie as the next speaker. But some argued that the rules say he needs an absolute majority of the 275-member parliament, which is 138 votes.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni political party, accuses Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Shiite Islamic Dawa Party, of unfairly trying to block Mr. al-Sammaraie, who is seen as a strong personality who could challenge Mr. Maliki’s agenda in parliament. Those who opposed the vote say they are just following the rules.

In addition to fighting to become speaker of the parliament, Mr. al-Sammaraie also has the tough job of being head of the body’s finance committee, which is currently studying ways to trim Iraq’s $60 billion proposed national budget for 2009 by an additional 7 percent. Alarmed by falling oil prices, lawmakers say the current budget based on oil at $50 a barrel is unrealistic and further cuts are needed. There have already been three different versions of the budget submitted by the ministry of finance because of the falling oil prices.

Despite the maelstrom surrounding him, Mr. al-Sammaraie said he is not letting politics interfere with his work on the finance committee. He noted that the members on his committee are from various blocs in parliament and they are focusing on working together based on issues, not politics.

“I’m trying to avoid political interference on issues facing the parliament,” Mr. al-Sammaraie said. “Our budget is too important to let politics play a role.”

He also noted that unlike some of the sectarian and ethnic divisions of the past, those who support him and oppose him come from Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs and Kurds. Instead, he said the opposition against him is mainly from Mr. Maliki and those who support him.

But Ali al-Adeeb, who is close to Mr. Maliki and is deputy leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, the largest coalition in parliament made up of Shiite parties, said supporters of Mr. al-Sammaraie are playing politics with the national budget. Mr. Adeeb hopes a vote on the budget can take place this weekend, but Mr. al-Sammaraie said it will take more time to study options to trim the budget.

“It seems some lawmakers want to make the budget late to embarrass the government and the winner in the provincial elections,” said Mr. Adeeb, referring to Mr. Maliki’s list that won the most votes in nine of 14 provinces that held elections on Jan. 31. “Some things are halting our work in the parliament because of the problems in the political field.”

The last speaker, Mahmoud Mashadani, resigned in mid-December. His temperamental, controversial style that included outbursts and insulting other lawmakers during parliament sessions, drew complaints. But he said he was the only one who could oversee a parliament made up mainly of “thugs, spies and lawmakers who never show up to parliament.”

Iran Resents State Department Pick, Terminology

Iran vehemently criticized the selection of veteran diplomat Dennis Ross to be a special adviser on the Gulf region to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic daily reported. According to the Iranian government, the appointment of Mr. Ross shows that there is “no real change” in U.S. foreign policy toward Iran because Mr. Ross is seen as one of the strong advocates of the Bush administration’s stance and is an opponent of Iran’s nuclear programs. Iran also condemned the State Department for not using the word “Persian” in the reference to the Gulf region. Article in Arabic only.

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Turkey to Open Second Consulate in Iraq

The Iraqi cabinet approved the opening of a Turkish consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, Baghdad’s Azzaman daily reported. The decision is part of a reciprocity agreement between the two neighbors. Turkey already has a consulate in the northern city of Mosul, and its desire to open another consulate in Iraq is yet another indicator of the improved security situation there. Not long ago many countries were averse to having a diplomatic presence. Iraq had previously re-opened its consulate in Istanbul and has recently been approved to open another consulate in Gaziantep in southern Turkey. Article in Arabic only.

Book on Sex Education Stirs Debate in U.A.E.

A book on sex education by a female author from the United Arab Emirates is causing a fuss on the Internet, Arab News reported. The book entitled, “The Secrets of Sexual Congress Between Married Couples” tackles a range of topics pertinent to marital and sexual life for couples in Islam. Detractors of the book, which came out last month, are angry about the book’s treatment of topics typically taboo in Islam. Fans, however, say that Arab societies are thirsty for this kind of information. The author, Wedad Lootah, created a controversy a couple of years ago by saying that sex education she be part of the curriculum in U.A.E. schools.

Syria Says Iraqi Refugees Turn into Economic Burden

Syria is planning to appeal to other Arab countries in their meeting next month to help with the Iraqi refugees’ crisis, Baghdad’s Azzaman daily reported. Syria, which currently hosts more than one million Iraqi refugees, said that its ailing economy can no longer support such an influx. Syria, which has been become a mecca for fleeing Iraqis after ethnic violence erupted in Iraq and has been more welcoming of Iraqis than most other countries, says Iraqis have cost the country about two billion dollars a year since 2006.

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Interior Ministry Says Iraqi Police Committed Massacre

Iraq’s interior ministry revealed Wednesday that a group of Iraqi policemen committed an unwarranted ethnic massacre, killing 17 innocent people in a raid in a western Baghdad neighborhood in 2006, Baghdad’s Azzaman reported. The news came one day after the ministry said its investigations showed that another group of policemen were responsible for assassinating Iraq’s vice president’s sister and her driver in the same year. The Iraqi police, predominated by Shiites, has been infiltrated by militia members and has long been accused of conducting ethnic cleansing missions against Sunnis. Article in Arabic only.

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Yemen Delays Elections for Two Years

Yemen announced it would postpone its parliamentary elections originally scheduled for April for two years to discuss broader political reforms, the Yemen Observer reported Wednesday. The decision came after two years of failed negotiations between Yemen’s ruling party and opposition parties. Some observers think that the decision could save Yemen from a bloody conflict that could erupt if the ruling party were to hold elections before a compromise was recahed. Demands for reform include giving the political parties the right to make amendments to the political and electoral systems and to form an elections committee.

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Dubai Set to Launch Economic Stimulus Initiative

Dubai is planning to introduce a stimulus package to help its companies amid the global financial crisis, Gulf News reported. The new stimulus would require the government to impose new measures “such as restructuring of government fees, reduction in cost of licenses to support business,” according to Nasser Al Shaikh, director general of Dubai department of finance. The package, which will use a $20 billion dollar of unsecured sovereign bonds, would largely target real estate companies with debts.

Former Iraqi PM Says he Won’t Run in General Elections

Ayad Allawi, the former Iraqi prime minister and head of the Iraqi National Accord movement, says he won’t run in parliamentary elections later this year, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. Mr. Allawi, a secular Shiite who once belonged to Hussein’s Baath Party but defected and formed an opposition group, said his decision is linked to fraud claims in the previous elections, death threats against his party members for their role in the democratic process and what he sees as rampant corruption and inefficacy in the Iraqi government. He denied claims that his electoral list — the Iraqi National List — is in talks with other parties to form an alliance to topple Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s party in the parliament. Allawi enjoys a mixed reception among Iraqis. Some consider him a strong figure who could bring stability, mostly because his tenure was marked with relative peace; other people, however, still can’t set aside his affiliation with Hussein’s regime.

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Iraq Seeking Contractor to Revamp Pipeline Via Syria

In yet another sign of hope for increased economic development in Iraq, Iraq’s oil ministry is looking for foreign investors who can commit to mending a damaged oil pipeline that transports fuel to Europe through Syria, Baghdad’s Azzaman reported. Pipelines in western and northwestern Iraq – predominantly Sunni tribal areas – have, until recently, been prone to insurgent attacks and acts of vandalism. If Iraq managed to revamp the rickety pipeline, it could increase its crude oil exports to international markets by at least 200,000 barrels a day.

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Saudi Arabia to Create Job Opportunities for Women

Saudi Arabia is taking steps to create more jobs for Saudi women by expanding health and educational programs, Arab News reported. Women, for example, can be trained to work in schools and care centers. The new measures, introduced Monday by the Saudi cabinet, are another indicator of the kingdom’s recent reform efforts and marks a slight departure from the way women commonly have been treated in conservative Muslim societies.

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Qatar to Welcome Foreign Schools

Qatar is adding three foreign schools to further expand education options for its citizens, the Peninsula reported. The schools – local campuses of Britain’s Sherborne School, America’s Shady Side Academy, and the Dubai American Academy — will have different programs and courses and will pave the way for Qatari students to attend top universities around the world. Qatar has already inculcated foreign expertise into its college education system, erecting new campuses modeled after Western universities capitalize on its oil boom and the Western increased interest in the region.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hailed the re-opening of the National Museum in Baghdad Monday, nearly six years after the building was closed in the midst of looting and destruction that left it barren of thousands of antiquities.

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Iraqi National Museum director Amira Eidan, third right, talked to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials during a tour at the museum in Baghdad on Monday.

Mr. Maliki, ambassadors and other dignitaries were allowed to tour the museum under tight security, a day ahead of building’s opening to the public. Mr. Maliki said he was happy to see life return to the museum but stressed there was still work to be done, including continuing efforts in obtaining stolen treasures.

“Iraqis are now capable of taking care of the museum and securing life here once again,” Mr. Maliki said.

There was a controversy regarding the museum opening, with Tourism Minister Qahtan al-Jiburi pushing for it and the Culture Minister Mahir al-Hadithi opposing it. Fearing the museum was still susceptible to attacks or robbers, Mr. Hadithi has said it was too early to reopen the museum and did not attend the ceremony today.

Mr. al-Jiburi said 6,000 stolen artifacts that had been taken abroad were returned to the museum, while another 10,000 treasures were returned by Iraqis in Iraq. Another 7,000 artifacts are still believed to be missing. He also said the museum surpassed the expectations of some people who doubted the situation was secure enough for the museum to reopen.

“We hope people will see Baghdad is once again safe and secure,” he said.

The museum includes halls displaying items delivered or returned by Iraqi citizens or regained from other nations. There is also an Assyrian room, a hall of Manuscripts showing ancient books of the Quran and an Islamic Hall. Magnificent wall-size stone carvings and statues, ancient coins and glazed pottery were among the antiquities on display. (See a photo gallery.)

However, a room that had displayed ancient gold jewelry only showed pictures of the treasures. The jewelry had been on display during the early part of the Coalition Provisional Authority, which governed Iraq after the U.S. invasion in 2003. But the museum feared that the gold jewelry may tempt thieves so the pieces are now kept in a vault.

The dozens of media representatives that attended the event were so eager to cover the museum opening that there were a few tussles and shouting matches with Iraqi security forces, resulting in two broken stone vases for plants that stood outside the museum entrance. A soldier carrying the broken pieces of one of the vases noted that fortunately, it was just an ordinary stone pot and not an ancient treasure.

France Abides by Oil Deals Signed Under Saddam

France is interested in reviving oil deals, signed with Iraq under Saddam Hussein, to develop some of Iraq’s richest southern oilfields, Baghdad’s Azzaman reported. France’s renewed interest in Iraq’s oil comes after a milestone visit by French President Nicholas Sarkozy to Baghdad earlier this month. Back when the deals were first signed, France couldn’t start developing the fields because Iraq was still under U.N.-imposed sanctions. Since Saddam Hussein’s ouster, work has been put off because of Iraq’s deteriorating security situation. But with Iraq’s relative safety now, France is willing to send in teams, particularly to the Majnoon oilfields near the southern city of al-Qurna. Majnoon, (”crazy” in Arabic), is one of the world’s richest oilfields, boasting an estimated reserve of up to 30 billion barrels. It got the name thanks to the “crazy” abundance of crude oil in a relatively small area.

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Arab Gulf Countries Warn Iran Against Making Hostile Remarks

The Arab members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates - unanimously denounced Iran’s recent provocative claim that the Gulf state of Bahrain constitutes the 14th province of the Muslim nation of Iran, calling the Iranian remarks “a flagrant aggression on the Arab identity of Bahrain,” Arab News reported. The joint Arab statement came during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in which the six nations also discussed proposed funds for rebuilding Gaza. The Iranian claim has caused Bahrain to halt negotiations with Iran on a gas deal. Iran has said that the statement was misunderstood. In the meantime, the Iranian interior minister is to visit Bahrain Tuesday to allay fears and discuss future cooperation between both countries.

Former Army Generals Snub Iraqi Government’s Offer to Return

Former Iraqi generals who lost their jobs after the U.S. invasion of Iraq are unwilling to reconcile with the current Iraqi government unless the government rescinds a law banning them from holding public posts in the new government, Baghdad’s Azzaman reported. The ban, issued and implemented when Iraq was under the control of the Coalition Provisional Authority and supported leading Shiite Iraqi figures like Ahmed Chalabi, has left swaths of professionals jobless. Sacked generals are believed to have been responsible for some of the major attacks against civilians as well as American and coalition forces.

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Sweden Tightens Immigration Rules On Iraqis

The Swedish government is tightening measures on Iraqis seeking asylum, rounding up refugees and deporting them to Baghdad, Baghdad’s Azzaman daily reported. The new procedures have alarmed thousands of Iraqi asylum seekers residing in Sweden, who blame the Iraqi government, which has signed an agreement allowing Sweden to deport Iraqi asylum seekers whose cases have been rejected to Baghdad, mainly because of the improved security situation in Iraq. Many Iraqis started to apply for asylum in Sweden after the flare in sectarian violence in the past few years. Sweden has a fairly large Iraqi immigrant community, but most of the Iraqis there arrived in the early 1980s for political or humanitarian reasons and have a dual citizenship.

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Yemen Arrests and Extradites Wanted Saudi to Kingdom

Yemen handed over to Saudi authorities a Saudi suspected to have links to the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen in September, the Yemen Observer reported. Mohammad al-Awfi, who is believed to have rejoined the ranks of al Qaeda in Yemen after his release from Guantanamo Bay, appeared in a video with another detainee, Saeed Shihri, who is suspected to be the perpetrator of the attack on the embassy. The attack happened less than a year after both suspects were released from the U.S. military detention center in Cuba. Saudi Arabia has been on the hunt for Mr. al-Awfi and 84 other terrorists who might be regrouping to launch attacks in the kingdom.

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U.A.E. Citizens Working For Private Companies Get More Rights

In a move to protect the rights of its citizens who work for the private sector, the United Arab Emirates is planning to inflict legal action against private companies that fire employees who have not flouted the country’s labor laws, Gulf News reported. If private companies decide to lay off employees for reasons other than violating labor laws, they have to give the Ministry of Labor 30 days’ notice. The new decision comes after a private company terminated the jobs of a number of citizens because of its own financial troubles.

In his first appearance since he was detained in December, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi said today he had no intention of harming former American President George W. Bush when he threw both his shoes at him during a press conference in Baghdad.

Instead, Mr. al-Zaidi told three judges in a Baghdad court that he was inspired because of the humiliation Iraq had faced because of the “U.S. occupation” and he “wanted to restore Iraqi pride.” He also said he had been tortured while he was in custody, an accusation the Iraqi government denies.

Mr. al-Zaidi’s attorneys argued the charge against him of assaulting a foreign leader was unwarranted because Mr. Bush was not on an official visit and was not received upon his arrival by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Therefore, Mr. al-Zaidi does not deserve a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, his attorneys argued.

The trial was adjourned until March 12 so the court could find out whether Mr. Bush’s visit was a formal one.

Since Mr. al-Zaidi told Mr. Bush that “this is your goodbye kiss, you dog” during a news conference with Mr. Maliki, he has become a hero to some. There have been demonstrations of support for Mr. al-Zaidi in Iraq and in other countries in the region. When he walked into the courtroom today, onlookers cheered and clapped for him.

But not every Iraqi supports Mr. al-Zaidi. I asked two friends today what they thought of what Mr. al-Zaidi did, and I was surprised at how critical they both were of the “shoe thrower,” as he’s now known. One Iraqi friend told me if a person he hated and considered as his enemy entered his home, he had to treat that person with respect, according to Muslim and Arab tradition.

“He insulted Muslims and Arabs more than he insulted Bush,” one Iraqi friend told me. “Now people around the world will think this is how Arabs and Muslims treat a guest in their country.”

He went on to say that if anybody deserved shoes thrown at them, it was Arab leaders and not Mr. Bush. He noted that while leaders of the Western world seemed to care about their people, leaders in the Middle East seemed to not value their citizens as human beings.

“Look at what happened during Gaza. No Arab leader came to help the Palestinians,” said another friend, referring to the recent fighting between Israelis and Hamas. “We should throw our shoes at our leaders here, not at others.”