George Bush is facing a political crisis in the US as it becomes increasingly clear that his strategy for maintaining the occupation of Iraq is rapidly unravelling.
The House of Lords ruled last week that European human rights law did apply to British troops serving in Iraq in the case of Baha Musa who died in their custody four years ago.
The US backed Iraqi government has ordered the arrest of four leaders of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, including Hassan Jumaa Awad, for "sabotaging the Iraqi economy" by organising a strike.
Oil workers have shut down refineries in the south of Iraq as part of a rolling strike. Members of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) launched their strike after the government reneged on a promise to release benefits payments.
The Democrats last week betrayed the hopes of millions of Americans by approving a $100 billion package to fund the Iraq war. They gained control of the US Congress last November, due to a wave of anger against the war in Iraq.
Moqtada al-Sadr, the rebel Shia Muslim cleric opposed to the occupation of Iraq, has called on all resistance organisations to unite and drive out foreign troops.
Iraqi union leaders representing tens of thousands of oil workers across southern Iraq are optimistic that a threatened strike last week has won significant concessions from the US-backed government.
