Iraqis have neither democracy nor security nine years after the fall of Baghdad [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
For Iraq, today marks the 9th anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. And despite the withdrawal of the American forces from the country earlier this year, Iraqi concerns remain the same in terms of human and material losses, which Iraqis have endured as a result of the war on Iraq. A war that led to mere promises and pledges to establish a new Iraq. Our correspondent Shafiq Abdel Jabar reports from Baghdad.

Reporter, Male #2
Iraq's government paid no attention to it; neither did its street. It is April 9th, the naming of which Iraqis have disagreed on. It is a victory and liberation for the Kurds, and the downfall of the former regime for the residents of the capital Baghdad. And despite just turning into another day, this day differs from the past eight years, at the very least because the streets lack protests and whizzing US military vehicles, which they call Hummers here.

Guest, Male #3
On the contrary, for Iraqi citizens, the situation is not better, it is worse.

Guest, Male #4
April 9, after nine years of the downfall of the harsh regime, is an occupation, the American occupation of Iraq. It left us with grave damage. The most recent impact they left us with was the disfigurement of children.

Reporter, Male #2
So nothing has changed, and these questions continue to worry Iraqis. So where is the desired change following the entry of forces that came to liberate but caused political, economic, and social devastation, a bill that seems much higher for many?

Guest, Male #5
I lost my son because of the Americans. For me, the Americans took away my life's work, and my happiness with my wife. My son is gone. The fruit of my life is gone.

Reporter, Male #2
A new Iraq was promised after 2003. Iraqis received that country from the American forces that entered the country with their armored vehicles, and the successive Iraqi governments that took power without ending the country's crisis.

Guest, Male #6
Sadly, we had hoped that the country would create effective institutions after the occupier's withdrawal on November 31. We hoped 2012 would be a good year, with national participation in the government. Sadly, we got nothing.

Reporter, Male #2
The ninth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad went unnoticed for Iraqis as politicians differed over its name. So, regardless of whether it is liberation, or occupation, or a downfall, this day will remain as a warning in Baghdad's recollection and history. From the Furdos Square in central Baghdad, Shafiq Abdel Jabar, Dubai TV.

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Iraq's Christians dwindle in number due to terrorism [New TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
In Iraq, every week is a painful one for the Christians, who are the primary victims of terrorism. My colleague Christine Habib visited Baghdad during the Arab Summit and has the following report.

Reporter, Female #2
An explosion disrupts the hymns. Panic dominates the prayer hall. And the worshipers become the victims and sacrifices of the slaughterhouse. This is another terrorist attack on a Christian house of worship in Iraq. The operation lasted four hours, during which explosives and automatic weapons were used, killing dozens of people. A year and a half later, after the massacre in Our Lady of Salvation Cathedral in the Karada neighborhood of Baghdad, the church is recovering from the shrapnel and wounds. It is attempting to resurrect itself. Pictures of the martyrs guarded the church, while security forces came too late.

Guest, Female #3 (Hana Adwar, Human Rights and Civil Society Activist)
They entered through the door, four of them. And right away, everyone panicked and started to run. Everyone was very scared. Some people went to the back room; 70 or 75 of them ran to the room behind the altar. The rest got scattered on the floor.

Reporter, Female #2
From beneath the damaged structure of the building, Hana recollects parts of the bloody story.

Guest, Female #3
There were two groups. The first group of people tried to reason with them, they were immediately killed. The second group was close to the altar, wearing mass clothes. They also tried to tell them that these are innocent and peaceful people. They killed them on the altar. One poor child, the poor child was crying. He started to scream for his parents. They tried to shut him up; he didn't, so they killed him. The child was barely a year old.

Reporter, Female #2
Even tough Christianity is the second largest religion in Iraq and includes 14 sects, Christians have become a minority. Figures show the number of Iraqi Christians was estimated at 1.9 million before the Gulf War, which is when it began to decline. However, the number effectively started to dwindle with the US invasion. And now, after eight years of intimidation, displacement, and killings based on one's religious background, the number of Christians in Iraq is nearly 400,000. Geographically, Iraqi Christians relocated from Baghdad and Basra and settled in al-Dowra, Ninawa, and Erbil. But the community's essential elements remain outside the country.

Guest, Male #1 (Father Joseph Tuma, Fikr al-Masihi Magazine Editor-in-Chief)
Before 2003, Christians used to account for only three percent of the Iraqi population, but they held 36 percent of higher education diplomas in this country, not to mention the riches. I wish immigration was a solution; I visit many of my brother immigrants every year, and they're not happy at all because there is no substitute to one's homeland. We are Iraqis first, Christians second. Our Christianity and our Iraqi citizenship are rooted together; they cannot be separated, just as the hand cannot be separated from its body.

Reporter, Female #2
Shrapnel remains as witness to the Iraqi Christians' suffering. They place it near the pictures of saints, and say they are committed to their country, regardless of how narrow the path becomes and how large the cemetery is. If it hadn't been for terrorism, the Christians of the "land of the two rivers" would have never felt they were a sect. They have always considered themselves Arab citizens in a secular country; they only started feeling the weight of their cross when extremists knocked on Iraq's door. Today, they find themselves the primary sacrifice on the altar of the new Middle East.

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Thousands of South Sudanese in Sudan at risk of becoming stateless [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir accused the South Sudanese government of arming and harboring armed groups.

Presenter, Female #1
In his speech at the Sudanese parliament, Bashir said Juba's aggressions and violations reflect its unjustifiable hostile attitude. This comes as a deadline set for Southerners living in the North to settle their residency status in the country has expired.

Reporter, Female #2
The relationship between the countries of Sudan and South Sudan is increasingly complicated. A myriad of disputes emerged between the two sides since the South declared its secession and independence from Khartoum. The citizenship and nationality issue is raising questions among many people today, especially since the legal status deadline set for southern nationals living in the north expired. Constitutionally and legally, they are now foreigners.

Reporter, Female #2
The security issue is equally significant, and Khartoum views it as the basis to solve all its outstanding issues with Juba. This was a clear request by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who accused the government in South Sudan of harboring and arming the groups behind the recent attacks on the border region between the two countries. However, Bashir was also keen on keeping the door to dialogue and negotiations open with Sudan's southern neighbor if the latter ceases to arm rebel factions, as he stated. On the other side, Juba said it received a message from Khartoum in which the latter announced a suspension to air traffic between the two states starting today. These developments, in addition to the oil disputes and border demarcation issues between Sudan and South Sudan, will undoubtedly open the door to questions over the future of the two countries' relationship.

Presenter, Male #1
Bashir's speech comes as the deadline expired for those who do not hold a Sudanese or South Sudanese citizenship to settle their status. Most of them have shared interests that were split following South Sudan's secession on July 9th, 2011.

Presenter, Female #1
The South Sudanese government says it does not ban dual citizenship; however, it is concerned by the status of southerners who remain in Sudan.

Reporter, Male #2
Awad is a Sudanese national. He is not documented as a citizen of South Sudan, where he has been living for over 10 years. He was married here and has four children. They are entitled to South Sudanese citizenship because their mother is a southerner. But Awad has not lost hope yet in attaining South Sudanese citizenship, which he has been pursuing for months.

Guest, Male #3 (Awad, Sudanese Living in South Sudan)
I have lived here for 10 years. I have children and I am married. I have four children: Mohamed, Aisha, Sara and Rajab. I registered at the immigration and citizenship bureau so that I can get the nationality. They said I could present the same paperwork five years after South Sudan's independence day, five years after. And then one year later I could get southern citizenship.

Reporter, Male #2
Awad is one of around 8,000 Sudanese people, who live in South Sudan for different reasons, according to the authorities. As of April 8, they are treated as foreigners, and the same applies to southerners in Sudan. They were hoping that an agreement would be reached between the two countries to resolve citizenship, unemployment, ownership, and relocation issues. But no agreement has been signed so far. Those whose names are Arabic, Muslim, or foreign will be temporary deprived of southern citizenship until they can prove they are southerners. But the government of the south is concerned that Sudan may mistreat its nationals, whose living conditions do not allow them to return to their homeland in the south.

Guest, Male #4 (Alison Magaya, South Sudanese Interior Minister)
The country exists, so there shouldn't be a problem. An announcement was made to deal with the issue of some people's temporary status. But, of course, we take everything they say seriously, because there are many different parties in the north who are in power with different agendas.

Reporter, Male #2
The idea of combining the two Sudans in terms of personal cases does not seem to be the end result of a number of peace treaties signed in Nairobi in 2005. It is feared that disputes between the two sides over other remaining issues could devour what is left of their old amicability. Adel Faris, Al Jazeera, Juba, South Sudan.

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Egypt's former intelligence chief accused of attempting to steal the revolution [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
The Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate, Khairat al-Shater, warned that his group, along with all Egyptians, will take to the street if the revolution is stolen. During a press conference to outline his electoral program, al-Shater said Egyptians didn't make sacrifices so the former vice president can return to power. Al-Shater added that General Suleiman's nomination is an insult to the revolution and a failure to realize the changes that have taken place in Egypt. He also rejected any attempts to "reproduce the former regime, represented in the person of General Suleiman." It's worth mentioning that Suleiman was a keen adversary of Islamists, and served as a vice president days before the downfall of Hosni Mubarak on February 11, 2011, due to public pressure.

Reporter, Male #1
In Egypt, nominations for the presidential elections have officially closed. Twenty-one candidates have registered, most notably former Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, former Muslim Brotherhood leader Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh, Nasserist Party leader Hamdeen Sabahi, and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. With the end of the nominations, many surprises emerged. First, former Vice President Omar Suleiman has submitted his candidacy papers amid heightened security measures, an indication that Suleiman may be running on behalf of the military council, as cited by some Egyptians.

Guest, Male #3 (Khaled Ali, Presidential Candidate)
The nomination of Omar Suleiman poses a threat to the Egyptian revolution and the people. I call on all candidates of the revolution to sit down and explore ways to help protect the voting process.

Guest, Male #4 (Abdullah al-Asha'al, Presidential Candidate)
We must defeat the other faction, which is once again trying to bring Egypt down. Omar Suleiman, Amr Moussa, and Ahmed Shafiq, they are all old guards and must leave.

Guest, Male #5
If fair elections are held, stability will start to take shape. But if elections are tampered with, chaos will take precedent.

Reporter, Male #2
The second surprise was the nomination of the Freedom and Justice Party's leader, Mohamed Mursi, as the Muslim Brotherhood's backup candidate in case Khairat al-Shater is disqualified. Mursi entered the party's headquarters from the rear entrance in an attempt to avoid the press.

Guest, Male #6
In a preemptive measure, the Brotherhood and its Justice Party decided to nominate Dr. Mohamed Mursi as a backup candidate in case a legal debate ensues over the qualification of engineer Khairat al-Shater.

Reporter, Male #2
The nomination of former remnants has stirred fear among the youth movements and Islamists over the possibility that the former regime is secretly trying to hijack the revolution and reproduce the former regime.

Guest, Male #7 (Khairat al-Shater, Muslim Brotherhood Presidential Candidate)
I don't condone his nomination. This is an insult to the revolution and the Egyptian people. He was one of the leading figures of the Mubarak regime. Mubarak elected him as his keeper and deputy when he had no one to turn to. We have concern over the timing and the way in which Omar Suleiman was nominated, in addition to his glorification by the official media.

Reporter, Male #1
This prompted some Islamist candidates to concede in favor of a consensual Islamist candidate.

Guest, Male #8 (Safwat Hijazi, Construction and Development Party Candidate)
We have agreed on a group of backup candidates, and they submitted their candidacy papers. Once our honorable candidates survive this guillotine and their applications are approved, and once the contesting period passes, then we will meet and elect a consensual candidate.

Reporter, Male #1
Between the positions of the two rival groups, observers believe that Egypt is passing through a critical stage. Islam Abu al-Majd, Al-Alam, Cairo.

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Police attack protestors in Tunisian capital [Press TV, Iran]

In Tunisia, police have attacked protestors in the capital Tunis. Police fired tear gas on demonstrators marking the so-called Martyrs' Day. The demonstrators held the rally in an avenue where the government prohibits any kind of demonstrations. The demonstrators were honoring those killed in a bloody crackdown by French troops on protests in 1838. On March 28, the government banned demonstrations in Habib Bourgiba Avenue, which also saw mass protests last year that ousted the former dictator.

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Jailed Bahraini rights activist Khawaja feared dead: Lawyer [Press TV, Iran]

The lawyer of Bahraini jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja says he's feared to have died as his hunger strike has passed two months. Mohammed al-Jishi says the authorities have rejected his and al-Khawaja's family's repeated requests to contact him. Protests in Bahrain calling for his release have multiplied in the past several days.

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Turkey protests as Syrians open fire at border [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian Revolution's General Commission said security and military forces killed 45 people in Syria, including 30 in Tal Rifaat in the countryside of Aleppo.

Reporter, Male #2
Syria's northern area near the Turkish border was the main platform for military operations and clashes since Monday morning. Tal Rifaat, where dozens of people were killed, witnessed the most violent clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army. According to activists, it was then shelled and stormed by tanks. The opposition uploaded online images of the town, in which clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the town's neighborhoods. Clashes also erupted along the Syrian-Turkish border crossing in the village of Salama. Six Syrian customs workers and security members were killed at the border crossing that is besieged by fighters from the Free Syrian Army. Eight of the fighters were injured and transferred to Turkey, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The opposition uploaded a video online, saying it shows the Kilis refugee camp in Turkey after getting shelled by Syrian forces, which led to casualties.

Reporter, Male #2
The town of Maree in the countryside of Aleppo was also shelled. A police officer and a policeman were killed in an attack by a group of Free Army members on the Sukkari police station in the city of Aleppo. The Jisr al-Shughur area near the Turkish border witnessed clashes as well. As for Rastan, attempts by the regime's forces to take control of the city continue to fail. The Free Syrian Army in the city is hitting military targets, filming their operations, and uploading the videos online. In the same context, injured Syrians who managed to flee the Idlib region and are receiving treatment in Turkish hospitals asserted they were subjected to shelling by the Syrian Air Force, which has begun assisting the storming and shelling operation in the areas witnessing clashes.

Guest, Male #3
I went to get my sister from home. An aircraft hovered over us and hit us with a missile. One person was martyred and two were injured. No one is left. Everyone has been displaced.

Reporter, Male #2
The Syrian Revolution's Local Coordination Committees said regime tanks started massing at about one kilometer from the building of the Syrian cabinet in the capital. It seems that today, one day before the deadline set by the Kofi Annan plan, is witnessing a substantial military escalation, while all sides are holding each other responsible for this escalation. Hayyan Aqoub, BBC.

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Another explosion renders Arish gas pipeline inoperable [IBA, Israel]

Just one day after the Egyptian authorities launched an operation to step up its battle against terror groups operating in the Sinai Peninsula, an explosion hit the pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan, four days after terrorists fired a Grad missile from the Sinai region into Eilat. This was the 14th time the pipeline was damaged since the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak began last year. The blast took place near the northern Sinai town of Arish; no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Syrian TV highlights caveats of Annan plan [IBA, Israel]

Syria has seemingly agreed to the plan of UN-Arab League Envoy Kofi Annan to stop the violence. But the announcement on Syrian television included a number of caveats. Damascus said that the Annan mission was based on respecting its sovereignty and stopping violence until it what it called "armed groups" put down their weapons.

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Ahmadinejad says Iran is ready for negotiations over nuclear program [IBA, Israel]

Iran has once again claiming that its nuclear program is non-military in nature, and that they welcome international cooperation. Meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Tehran, President Ahmadinejad said that Iran is ready for negotiations over its nuclear program. Jerusalem is skeptical, however; Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon charged that the Iranian rejection of US President Barack Obama's proposals regarding the country's nuclear program ahead of international talks is a further indication of the nature of Iranian research.