IPS correspondents bring you independent perspectives on what is happening in Iran, Iraq and across the Middle East.

U.S. Cutoff Threat Unlikely to Save Iraq Troop Pact
Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON – The threat by the George W. Bush administration last week to withdraw all economic and military support from the Iraqi government if it does not accept the U.S.-Iraq status of forces agreement has raised the stakes in the political-diplomatic struggle over the issue.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44499

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EGYPT: Ruling Party in Free Fall
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
CAIRO – A high-ranking member of Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is facing trial on charges of arranging the murder of a Lebanese pop singer. The case, along with a host of other public grievances, has badly tarnished the NDP’s reputation ahead of an upcoming party conference.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44494

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Analysts Question Timing of Syria Raid
Ali Gharib
WASHINGTON – A cross-border raid into Syria by U.S. forces in Iraq, and a subsequent stonewalling by U.S. officials unwilling to divulge details, has led to rampant speculation among U.S. analysts about the origins and meaning of the attack.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44474

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MIDEAST: So Easy for Israelis to Shoot to Kill
Cherrie Heywood
RAMALLAH, West Bank – Israeli soldiers shot and killed three young Palestinians in the Ramallah district of the central West Bank last week. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed the Palestinians were about to throw Molotov cocktails at soldiers and settlers in the Bet El settlement.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44468

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YEMEN: Govt Holding More Than 1,000 Political Prisoners
Zainab Mineeia
WASHINGTON – A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) urges Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to launch an independent commission to investigate arbitrary arrests and disappearances and to hold those responsible to account.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44429

Check out IPS coverage of terrorism –
www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/terrorism/index.asp

For more IPS reporting on the Middle East – www.ipsnews.net/middle.asp

Iraq: Beyond the Green Zone – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iraq/index.asp

Iran: The Parthian Shot – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iran/index.asp

Holy Land/Unholy War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/israel_palestina/index.asp

Afghan Divide – www.ipsnews.net/afghanistan/index.asp

View From the U.S.: Bush at War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/warII/index.asp

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