Tribal conf. in Diala to support elections

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: Diala witnessed a conference of 400 chieftains, attended by a representative of the Daawa party of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to express support the next provincial councils elections, head of the Diala support councils said on Monday. “Al-Patoul hall in Baaquba hosted the conference with the participation of more than 400 tribal personalities and chieftains and he all 13 support councils in Diala,” Saad Haloub told IraqiNews.com. “The participants agreed to support the election process through urging tribes to take part in the elections and cooperate with police and army forces to protect poll stations,” he added. Diala province, a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, extends to the northeast of Baghdad as far as the Iranian border. Its capital is Baaquba, 57 km northeast of Baghdad. It covers an area of 17,685 square kilometers (6,828 sq mi). A large portion of the province is drained by the Diala River, a major tributary of the Tigris. Because of its proximity to two major sources of water, Diala’s main industry is agriculture, primarily dates grown in large Date Palm groves. It is also recognized as the orange capital of the Middle East. In January 2008 Operation Phantom Phoenix was launched in an attempt to eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda network following the Diala province campaign between 2006 and 2007.   SH (S)/SR 1