MESOP SHORT CUTS KURDISTAN (CLICK HEADLINE OR FULL TEXTS)

Exclusive: Secret State Department cable: Chemical weapons used in Syria | The CableForeign Policy – A secret State Department cable has concluded that the Syrian military likely used chemical weapons against its own people in a deadly attack last month, The Cable has learned…

Difficult Times Ahead for Iraq –  Council on Foreign Relations – The Iraqi government, headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, faces difficult times ahead, says Meghan L. O’Sullivan, a former top official dealing with Iraq in the Bush administration.  

British Chemical Expert: There Is Still Mustard Gas in Halabja Soil – Rudaw – The town of Halabja, where 5,000 Kurds were killed in poison gas attacks by Saddam Hussein, still remains contaminated and hazardous to health, a British expert says as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prepares for the 25th anniversary of the bombings in March…

Kurds’ way to peace riddled with spoilers – Financial Times – It is almost a geopolitical cliché that, when a long and intractable conflict looks as though it might be soluble, maximalist headbangers or vested interests gorged on the dislocation of war emerge to exercise a violent veto.