Hampering service track punishable by law – PM

BAGHDAD, Sept. 20 (Iraqi News) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Saturday warned that whoever hampers the march of service utilities in Iraq would be referred to courts for punishment. “Persons encumbering the march of service work would be considered to have some terrorism-nourished subversive agenda and would be referred to court,” said Maliki during a visit to the Baghdad provincial office today, noting all the state institutions have launched massive reconstruction efforts. “Many countries and firms want to work in Iraq. After the fasting month of Ramadan, global conglomerates will come to Iraq,” he added. The Iraqi premier pointed out that there is, however, so much to do in Baghdad and other provinces. Mu’een al-Kadhemi, the provincial council chief, said there are important challenges in addition to security that the province of Baghdad has faced. “There are necessary files like service, victims of terrorism and the former regime, the internally displaced persons (IDPs), the social insurance network and re-building,” Kadhemi said, referring to cooperation with all ministries, including the health ministry, which plans to build four hospitals, as well as the education ministry to build 100 schools. Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and Baghdad province. With a municipal population estimated at 7,000,000, it is the largest city in Iraq. It is the second largest city in the Arab world (after Cairo) and the second largest city in southwest Asia (after Tehran). Located on the Tigris River, the city dates back to at least the 8 th century, and probably to pre-Islamic times. Once the center of Dar al-Islam (the abode of Islam), Baghdad has been a center of violent conflict since 2003 because of the ongoing Iraq war. Baghdad’s population is a mix of Sunnis and Shiites. It is mainly divided into two sides: the west (al-Karkh) and the east (al-Rasafa). AmR (S) 1