Iraq calls on UNSC to intervene to stop raids on Gaza

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, his two deputies and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked the ambassadors of the permanent countries of the UN Security Council to inform their countries Iraq’s denunciation of the Israeli aggression of the Gaza Strip, urging them to intervene to stop the military operations, the head of the presidential divan Nassier al-Aani said on Tuesday. “The meeting, held tonight between Talabani, his two deputies Adel Abdul Mahdi and Tareq al-Hashemi, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and ambassadors of the U.S., Russia, Britian, France and China, witnessed the presentation of an Iraqi condemnation memorandum on the Israeli attacks of the Gaza strip, as well as a request to these countries to intervene to stop the aggression,” al-Aani told IraqiNews.com. An official source had said earlier that Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with his two deputies, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and ambassadors of the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China. The Iraqi government on Tuesday announced that it will send medical and food assistance to the Gaza Strip, which has been bombarded by Israeli war planes. Hundreds of Palestinians were reported killed or wounded after Israeli F-16 bombers launched a series of air strikes against multiple targets in the Hamas-run territories. Israel said the operation was in response to rockets fired into Israeli towns and villages by Hamas and other militant groups based in Gaza. SH (S)/SR 1