The IPS network of correspondents brings you an independent perspective on what is happening in the region.

EXCLUSIVE-PART1: Al Qaeda Excluded from the Suspects List*
By Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON, Jun 22 (IPS) – On Jun. 25, 1996, a massive truck bomb exploded at a building in the Khobar Towers complex in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, which housed U.S. Air Force personnel, killing 19 U.S. airmen and wounding 372.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47312

EXCLUSIVE-PART 2: Saudi Account of Khobar Bore
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47324

EXCLUSIVE-PART 3: U.S. Officials Leaked a False Story Blaming Iran*
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47347

EXCLUSIVE-PART 4: FBI Ignored Compelling Evidence of bin Laden Role*
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47363

EXCLUSIVE-PART 5: Freeh Became “Defence Lawyer” for Saudis on Khobar*
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47376
*****

IRAQ
=====
US-IRAQ: Troops Leave Cities, as Questions Remain
By Jared Levy
WASHINGTON, Jun 30 (IPS) – U.S. combat troops pulled out of most Iraqi cities Monday, a day before the Jun. 30 deadline for their withdrawal in accordance with the Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) ratified by the Iraqi parliament in November 2008.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47468

*****
MIDEAST: Arabs Court U.S. via Baghdad
By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa Al-Omrani
CAIRO, Jun 26 (IPS) – Egypt finally appointed an ambassador to Iraq earlier this month after four years without diplomatic representation in Baghdad. While the last year has seen other Arab capitals do likewise, some critics question the wisdom of the move in light of Iraq’s still volatile security situation.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47384

*****
IRAQ: Lame-Duck Lawmakers Push Through Kurdistan’s New Charter
By Mohammed A. Salih
WASHINGTON, Jun 26 (IPS) – A draft constitution passed by the parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan has drawn divided reactions, with some questioning the very legitimacy of a lame-duck parliament to pass the single most important legal document of the Kurdish region and others touting it as a positive step forward.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47383

*****
POLITICS: U.S. to Name Ambassador to Damascus after Four Years
By Katie Mattern and Ali Gharib
WASHINGTON, Jun 24 (IPS) – After informing the Syrian embassy in Washington on Tuesday night, the U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that President Barack Obama will be sending an ambassador to Damascus for the first time since 2005.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47359
*****

IRAN UNREST
==============
U.S.: Anti-Regime Exiles Galvanised by Iran Unrest
By Ali Gharib*
WASHINGTON, Jun 29 (IPS) – While mass demonstrations in Iran are dwindling – with large gatherings and the opposition appearing largely paralysed by the authorities? crackdown – the crisis there is causing a return to prominence for groups of Iranians living in the West: the exiles who have long advocated regime change in Iran, sometimes by armed means.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47415

US-IRAN: “Obama Effect” Versus “Freedom Agenda”
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47397

IRAN: Cries and Whispers
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47393

MIDEAST: Iran Crisis Ripples Outward
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47379

US-IRAN: Misreading the Protests in Tehran
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47375

*****

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

In Focus: IRAQ – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iraq/index.asp

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

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

Nuclear Ambitions – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/nuclear/index.asp

Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS), the world’s leading provider of information on global issues, is backed by a network of journalists in more than 100 countries. Its clients include more than 3,000 media organizations and tens of thousands of civil society groups, academics, and other users.

IPS focuses its news coverage on the events and global processes affecting the economic, social and political development of peoples and nations.

Visit Inter Press Service at www.ipsnews.net