U.S. Supreme Court petitioned to review AMP, et al. lawsuit on gene patents

Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
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Contact: Don Hunt
dhunt@lambert-edwards.com
616-233-0500
Association for Molecular Pathology

Case challenges patents as dangerous roadblock to patient care, medical innovation

WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Association for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a case that challenges the validity of patents on two human genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation originally filed the lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of professional organizations led by the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), and representing over 150,000 physicians and scientists, against licensees and patent holders Myriad Genetics and the University of Utah Research Foundation, as well as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other plaintiffs included individual physicians and scientists, genetic counselors, women's groups and patients.

The lawsuit argued that as "products of nature", genes are ineligible for patenting under Section 101 of the U.S. Patent Act. In addition, the suit asserted that process claims involving comparison of mutated and normal sequences are also invalid. Finally, the plaintiffs challenged the issuance of the patents on Constitutional grounds, contending that the encumbrances placed by the patents on scientific inquiry and medical care violate Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 and the First Amendment.

In March, 2010 a district court granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs, ruling that human genes and the sequence comparison claims are not patent eligible under Section 101. A divided Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last July reversed in part, holding that the gene sequences at issue are patent eligible as "isolated human DNA." However, the Appeals Court affirmed the lower court's finding of invalidity of the comparison, or correlation, claims as unpatentable mental processes.

The patents granted to Myriad give the company the right to exclude others from sequencing the genes or performing other diagnostic tests on BRCA1 and BRCA2. In effect they grant Myriad a monopoly on both medical and research testing for familial breast and ovarian cancer caused by these genes.

"That pathologists can be excluded from 'looking at' or 'reading' a patient's DNA sequence to characterize or assess the risk for disease is akin to prohibiting a physician from taking a patient's pulse to see if his or her heart is beating," said Mary Steele Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Molecular Pathology. "I think that the fact that patients can be prevented from accessing the information contained in their DNA would offend most people's conceptions of individual rights and personal liberty."

AMP is optimistic the Supreme Court will follow its precedents that render natural products, natural laws, and natural phenomena ineligible for patent protection. Only by upholding the prohibition on patenting laws of nature can the patent system foster competition and advancement in test development, and thereby usher in the era of personalized medicine.

"Gene patents are a barrier to innovation in molecular testing because they grant monopolies in diagnostic testing for key biologic relationships in inherited diseases and cancer," said Roger D. Klein, MD, JD, AMP Professional Relations Committee Chair. "One cannot invent around gene patents. Excluding medical practitioners from independently accessing the information contained within the genes of their patients, and the subsequent loss of competition this implies, results in higher test prices, decreased patient access, and diminished innovation in the development of new test methods. The overall effects on patient care are resoundingly negative."

AMP is deeply concerned about potential restrictions on physician and patient access to information that could inform care, and the chilling effect gene patents have on medical research.

"Because information about gene sequences is so fundamental to elucidating the cause, progression and treatment of disease, patent holders can essentially gain ownership of the understanding of some diseases and of certain areas of patient care itself," said Iris Schrijver, AMP President. "Even the possibility of enforcement by a patent holder creates a chilling effect, as pathologist s become reluctant to perform testing procedures that could benefit patients."

###

About AMP

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical professional association dedicated to the advancement, practice, and science of clinical molecular laboratory medicine and translational research based on the applications of molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. For more information, please visit http://www.amp.org.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Don Hunt
dhunt@lambert-edwards.com
616-233-0500
Association for Molecular Pathology

Case challenges patents as dangerous roadblock to patient care, medical innovation

WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Association for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a case that challenges the validity of patents on two human genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation originally filed the lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of professional organizations led by the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), and representing over 150,000 physicians and scientists, against licensees and patent holders Myriad Genetics and the University of Utah Research Foundation, as well as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other plaintiffs included individual physicians and scientists, genetic counselors, women's groups and patients.

The lawsuit argued that as "products of nature", genes are ineligible for patenting under Section 101 of the U.S. Patent Act. In addition, the suit asserted that process claims involving comparison of mutated and normal sequences are also invalid. Finally, the plaintiffs challenged the issuance of the patents on Constitutional grounds, contending that the encumbrances placed by the patents on scientific inquiry and medical care violate Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 and the First Amendment.

In March, 2010 a district court granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs, ruling that human genes and the sequence comparison claims are not patent eligible under Section 101. A divided Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit last July reversed in part, holding that the gene sequences at issue are patent eligible as "isolated human DNA." However, the Appeals Court affirmed the lower court's finding of invalidity of the comparison, or correlation, claims as unpatentable mental processes.

The patents granted to Myriad give the company the right to exclude others from sequencing the genes or performing other diagnostic tests on BRCA1 and BRCA2. In effect they grant Myriad a monopoly on both medical and research testing for familial breast and ovarian cancer caused by these genes.

"That pathologists can be excluded from 'looking at' or 'reading' a patient's DNA sequence to characterize or assess the risk for disease is akin to prohibiting a physician from taking a patient's pulse to see if his or her heart is beating," said Mary Steele Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Molecular Pathology. "I think that the fact that patients can be prevented from accessing the information contained in their DNA would offend most people's conceptions of individual rights and personal liberty."

AMP is optimistic the Supreme Court will follow its precedents that render natural products, natural laws, and natural phenomena ineligible for patent protection. Only by upholding the prohibition on patenting laws of nature can the patent system foster competition and advancement in test development, and thereby usher in the era of personalized medicine.

"Gene patents are a barrier to innovation in molecular testing because they grant monopolies in diagnostic testing for key biologic relationships in inherited diseases and cancer," said Roger D. Klein, MD, JD, AMP Professional Relations Committee Chair. "One cannot invent around gene patents. Excluding medical practitioners from independently accessing the information contained within the genes of their patients, and the subsequent loss of competition this implies, results in higher test prices, decreased patient access, and diminished innovation in the development of new test methods. The overall effects on patient care are resoundingly negative."

AMP is deeply concerned about potential restrictions on physician and patient access to information that could inform care, and the chilling effect gene patents have on medical research.

"Because information about gene sequences is so fundamental to elucidating the cause, progression and treatment of disease, patent holders can essentially gain ownership of the understanding of some diseases and of certain areas of patient care itself," said Iris Schrijver, AMP President. "Even the possibility of enforcement by a patent holder creates a chilling effect, as pathologist s become reluctant to perform testing procedures that could benefit patients."

###

About AMP

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical professional association dedicated to the advancement, practice, and science of clinical molecular laboratory medicine and translational research based on the applications of molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. For more information, please visit http://www.amp.org.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/afmp-usc121511.php

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COLLEGE HOOPS: No. 25 Grenadiers Storm Past Pomeroys

December 15, 2011

COLLEGE HOOPS: No. 25 Grenadiers Storm Past Pomeroys

Anonymous Kevin.Harris@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Thu Dec 15, 2011, 12:10 AM EST

NEW ALBANY ? The No. 25-ranked IU Southeast women's basketball team is back in the win column after besting St. Mary-of-the-Woods, 83-52, Wednesday night in the Activities Building.

Megan Murphy led the Grenadiers with yet another double-double, scoring 15 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Four other Grenadiers scored in double-digits, including Tia Wineinger (14), Heather Wheat (12), Ashmere Woods (13), and Brooke Willoughby (15).

The Grenadiers led from tipoff to finish. The Pomeroys played tough and pulled within two points late in the first half, but the Grenadiers pulled away while hitting 50 percent of their shots in the second half.

Both teams attempted the same number of field goals (65), but the Grenadiers hit 43 percent of their attempts, compared to 29 percent shooting for the Pomeroys. The Grenadiers bounced back from being outworked on the boards in Saturday's loss to Purdue Calumet, and they outrebounded the Pomeroys 47-36 in the game.

The visiting Pomeroys' (6-4) Brittney Shaner came into the game averaging 23.5 points per game for St. Mary-of-the-Woods. The Grenadier defense held her to a team-high 14 points.

IU Southeast (9-4) heads to Berea Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

? Contributed

Source: http://newsandtribune.com/sports/x1207039980/COLLEGE-HOOPS-No-25-Grenadiers-Storm-Past-Pomeroys

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ECB chief Draghi: Governments must save themselves (AP)

BERLIN ? European Central Bank president Mario Draghi says there's "no external savior" for heavily indebted governments in the 17-nation eurozone and gave no indication the bank is ready to step in and support their finances.

Investors had hoped the ECB would increase its support for financially weak countries like Italy with bigger purchases of their government bonds once European leaders had agreed to tighten controls of national budgets.

So far, the ECB has made some purchases but kept them limited, stressing that governments must not rely on such help.

Draghi said governments had reached a "breakthrough for clear fiscal rules" at last week's summit, where 26 of 27 EU leaders agreed to seek a treaty toughening the enforcement of rules against excessive national debt and deficits.

But he offered no support for the notion that the ECB might now increase its bond purchases. Instead, governments need to take the tough steps to balance budgets and reform economies to promote growth.

"I will never be tired of saying that the first response ought to emanate from the country," Draghi said Thursday at a speech in Berlin. "There is no external savior for a country that doesn't want to save itself."

As a "firewall" to calm markets in the meantime, Draghi said, the EU has its newly strengthened bailout fund.

Draghi stressed that the purchases were "neither eternal nor infinite."

The purchases of the government bonds of Italy or Spain drive up their prices and push down their yields, or interest rates, which move in the opposite direction. The lower yields mean better terms when Italy or Spain sells bonds directly to investors at auctions.

"The crisis has not ended yet. It is now important not to lose momentum and to swiftly implement all those decisions that have been taken to put the euro area economy back on course," he said.

Investors were clearly disappointed with the EU summit's deal, with many economists noting it doesn't address short-term fears about whether governments will be able to borrow at affordable interest rates and pay off maturing debt in the next few months.

The euro has tumbled below $1.30 for the first time in 11 months, stocks have dropped, and the bond yields of Italy ? considered the next weakest link in Europe's debt crisis ? have edged up. On Thursday, markets were steady after Draghi's comments, suggesting they had prepared for the ECB to shy away from more aggressive action.

Draghi defended the EU summit's deal, saying it had drawn "comments that were more negative than it deserved."

He rejected any idea that the ECB should engage in so-called quantitative easing to support growth, as the U.S. Federal Reserve or Bank of England have done, although Draghi mentioned neither country by name.

Quantitative easing involves creating new money through purchases of securities from banks. More money in the economy can spur growth when an economy is slumping, but can cause inflation when and if growth picks up.

Draghi said the economies of countries that have done quantitative easing show no "stellar performances at all" when it comes to "unemployment, growth and especially inflation."

Jens Weidmann, Germany's top central banker, has vociferously opposed more aggressive action from the ECB, saying a bigger bond-buying program would violate the ECB's mandate to fight inflation and could compromise its legal independence. While the Bundesbank has only one vote at the ECB, analysts say vocal public opposition from Weidmann would be a serious obstacle for any U-turn by the ECB on bond purchases, since it would undermine its communication on the topic.

His position also has considerable support among economists and politicians in Germany, the eurozone's largest member.

Meanwhile, the volatility in financial markets and the tighter credit conditions are hurting the real economy. Draghi acknowledged that planned austerity measures in the eurozone will lead to a brief contraction in economic growth. He added, however, that the return of investors' trust and much-delayed economic reforms will mitigate the downturn.

Draghi stressed that the European Financial Stability Facility, the current EU bailout fund, would serve as the "firewall" against the crisis.

Governments have agreed on ways to increase the fund's lending power and are seeking outside investors such as countries in emerging markets to contribute to its lending power, so far without much progress.

Economists say the EFSF remains too small to counter the crisis that has seen Greece, Ireland and Portugal seek bailouts from other eurozone governments and the International Monetary Fund.

The ECB has served as lender of last resort for the banking system when financial institutes cannot borrow elsewhere, even as it refuses to play that role for governments.

Draghi noted the ECB is fighting to avoid a credit crunch by helping private-sector banks get more access to loans ? from as short as overnight to as long as three years. It has also cut the requirement for reserves that must be kept on deposit with the ECB, freeing up capital for banks. He said the use of those facilities should not create a "stigma" for those banks.

Uncertainty about economic policies and volatility on financial markets are among the factors causing banks trouble, making it more difficult for them to raise additional capital where needed and secure long-term funding.

"There is a general uneasiness as it was right after the Lehman Brothers case," he said, in a reference to the 2008 bankruptcy of the U.S. investment bank that was seen as a key trigger of the global financial crisis.

__

McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Dog Loves Christmas Even More Than You Do

Safe to say someone doesn't need help getting into the holiday spirit.

In this video posted online, a lovable mutt expresses his love for all things Santa Claus and Christmas, jumping up and down repeatedly in a display of yuletide joy.

That or it's just a big fan of the film Elf starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel. Hard to blame the animal there if so. If you haven't seen New Girl, check it out.

For now, get yourself PUMPED for the holidays with this clip ...

Dog REALLY Loves Christmas

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/dog-loves-christmas-even-more-than-you-do/

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Global carbon emissions reach record 10 billion tons, threatening 2 degree target

ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2011) ? Global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have increased by 49 per cent in the last two decades, according to the latest figures by an international team, including researchers at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia.

Published Dec. 4 in the journal Nature Climate Change, the new analysis by the Global Carbon Project shows fossil fuel emissions increased by 5.9 per cent in 2010 and by 49 per cent since 1990 -- the reference year for the Kyoto protocol.

On average, fossil fuel emissions have risen by 3.1 per cent each year between 2000 and 2010 -- three times the rate of increase during the 1990s. They are projected to continue to increase by 3.1 per cent in 2011.

Total emissions -- which combine fossil fuel combustion, cement production, deforestation and other land use emissions -- reached 10 billion tonnes of carbon* in 2010 for the first time. Half of the emissions remained in the atmosphere, where CO₂ concentration reached 389.6 parts per million. The remaining emissions were taken up by the ocean and land reservoirs, in approximately equal proportions.

Rebounding from the global financial crisis of 2008-09 when emissions temporarily decreased, last year's high growth was caused by both emerging and developed economies. Rich countries continued to outsource part of their emissions to emerging economies through international trade.

Contributions to global emissions growth in 2010 were largest from China, the United States, India, the Russian Federation and the European Union. Emissions from the trade of goods and services produced in emerging economies but consumed in the West increased from 2.5 per cent of the share of rich countries in 1990 to 16 per cent in 2010.

In the UK, fossil fuel CO₂ emissions grew 3.8 per cent in 2010 but were 14 per cent below their 1990 levels. However, emissions from the trade of goods and services grew from 5 per cent of the emissions produced locally in 1990 to 46 per cent in 2010 -- overcompensating the reductions in local emissions. Emissions in the UK were 20 per cent above their 1990 levels when emissions from trade are taken into account.

"Global CO₂ emissions since 2000 are tracking the high end of the projections used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which far exceed two degrees warming by 2100," said co-author Prof Corinne Le Qu?r?, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and professor at the University of East Anglia. "Yet governments have pledged to keep warming below two degrees to avoid the most dangerous aspects of climate change such as widespread water stress and sea level rise, and increases in extreme climatic events.

"Taking action to reverse current trends is urgent."

Lead author Dr Glen Peters, of the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Norway, said: "Many saw the global financial crisis as an opportunity to move the global economy away from persistent and high emissions growth, but the return to emissions growth in 2010 suggests the opportunity was not exploited."

Co-author Dr Pep Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project, added: "The global financial crisis has helped developed countries meet their production emission commitments as promised in the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen Accord, but its impact has been short-lived and pre-existing challenges remain."

* Values reported here are in billion tonnes of carbon. To convert emissions to billion tonnes of CO₂, multiply the value by 3.67.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of East Anglia.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Glen P. Peters, Gregg Marland, Corinne Le Qu?r?, Thomas Boden, Josep G. Canadell, Michael R. Raupach. Rapid growth in CO₂ emissions after the 2008?2009 global financial crisis. Nature Climate Change, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1332

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111204144648.htm

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Decision time for EU, with euro's future at stake (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? The euro faces a decisive week as European Union leaders, urged on anxiously by the United States, seek agreement on a convincing rescue plan that has eluded them for two years.

Despite short-term market optimism about a possible deal to tackle Europe's sovereign debt crisis and underpin the survival of the single currency, the outcome is far from certain as the EU gears up for a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

"This week, the stable future of the euro and thus the economic recovery in Europe and employment are at stake," EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn told Reuters. "This calls for a convincing package of measures from the European Council (summit)."

Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho went further.

"We have to find a response" to the crisis, he told the daily Publico. "If we don't, clearly that could represent the end of the European Union."

If all goes according to plans being hatched in Berlin and Paris, the EU will have taken a step towards fiscal union by Friday night, agreeing on a treaty change to anchor coercive budget discipline for the 17-nation currency area.

The European Central Bank will have cut interest rates on Thursday to counter a looming recession and taken new measures to provide longer-term funding for Europe's teetering banks.

And new prime ministers in Italy, Greece and Spain will have demonstrated their commitment to tough austerity measures and structural economic reforms to tackle their debt problems and restore investor confidence.

World financial markets rallied last week on the prospect of such a masterplan after ECB chief Mario Draghi signalled that in response to a new "fiscal compact" in the euro zone, the central bank could act more decisively to fight the crisis.

A convincing show of political determination to stand behind the euro and surmount the crisis through closer euro zone integration could prompt the ECB to do more to support Italian and Spanish bonds, cementing that reversal of market sentiment.

"It all comes down to what the ECB does, and whether political leaders produce a sufficiently convincing plan to give the ECB a basis to intervene," a senior EU government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity to respect the independence of the central bank.

However, if the 27-nation EU is unable to agree, or settles for another half-measure after months of dithering, the flight from euro zone bond markets may accelerate, confidence may ebb further and the crisis could become acute in January, when Italy has to start a massive refinancing campaign.

The chief executives of leading Dutch multinationals published a joint newspaper ad warning it was now "one minute to midnight" for the euro zone.

"There is almost 1,000 billion euros in refinancing that needs to be done next year, while the risk premium on interest rates is increasing strongly. That means that it will be almost impossible for many countries to refinance. That indicates how urgent it is to take measures now," Frans van Houten, CEO of electronics giant Philips told TV programme Buitenhof.

MERKEL PERMISSIVE?

Underlining Washington's vital interest in averting a euro zone meltdown, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will visit Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Marseille and Milan from Tuesday -- his fourth trip to Europe since early September -- to urge key European officials to take decisive action.

Sources close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel say she is prepared, despite hostility from the German Bundesbank, to see the ECB step up buying of troubled states' bonds as a short-term bridging measure until stricter budget controls take hold.

But things may not go entirely according to plan.

Merkel visits French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Monday to outline joint proposals on economic governance, but Berlin and Paris still have significant differences about how the euro zone would control national budgets.

Merkel wants to empower the executive European Commission to veto national budget plans that breach EU limits before they go to parliament, with automatic sanctions for deficit sinners and the possibility to take serial offenders to the European Court of Justice for punishment.

Sarkozy, struggling to win re-election next May, wants euro zone leaders to have the final say, with no new supranational powers for EU institutions.

Several other governments, notably Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands, do not want treaty change at all because of the domestic political risks. Some fear it would be hard if they have to win public backing in referendums.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who chairs the crucial end-of-week summit in Brussels, will present options for stricter budget control without touching the treaty, as well as steps that would require amendments, aides said.

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek warned last Friday that treaty change could be divisive and "dangerous." But diplomats say it is a political must for Merkel.

Veteran former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, 92, urged Germans on Sunday to soothe growing fears of German dominance in Europe and help rescue debt-stricken euro zone partners, warning that Berlin faced isolation otherwise.

For British Prime Minister David Cameron, the choice is between enraging eurosceptics at home by letting treaty change go ahead without winning a return of key powers to London, or seeing the 17 euro zone states reach a separate agreement outside the treaty that could cement a two-speed Europe.

SHORT-CIRCUIT

Germany and France want to short-circuit the complex treaty amendment procedure by wrapping the new budget procedures into a single amended protocol 14 on the euro zone. They hope to avoid a parliamentary convention and spare most, if not all, countries the need for a referendum on ratification.

That has outraged some lawmakers who say the EU's major powers are sidelining national parliamentary budget sovereignty without any democratic accountability.

In their defence, Paris and Berlin argue the debt crisis is an emergency that requires swift executive action to avert disaster, and that member states already signed up to the budget rules in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty.

New Prime Minister Mario Monti brought forward to Sunday a cabinet meeting to approve rigorous austerity measures and economic reforms designed to save Rome from requiring the next international bailout. And bailed-out Ireland will be presenting an eye-watering 2012 austerity budget.

Italy has become the centre of the debt crisis since yields on its 10-year bonds shot up above 7 percent, levels at which Greece, Ireland and Portugal were forced to seek EU/IMF help.

Government sources say Monti's mix of cuts and tax rises will total some 20 billion euros ($27 billion) over two years. About half will go to reduce the deficit and balance the budget by 2013 despite an economic downturn and rising borrowing costs.

The rest will free up resources to try to regenerate Italy's recession-bound economy.

On Tuesday, the Greek parliament is due to give final approval to a draconian 2012 austerity budget that is a condition for a second bailout package still under negotiation with private creditors, euro zone governments and the IMF.

On Wednesday and Thursday, centre-right leaders who control most EU governments meet in Marseille, France. That will provide the platform for incoming Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to outline his commitment to radical budget cuts and economic reforms to restore Madrid's parlous public finances.

It will also give "Merkozy" -- as the Franco-German leadership team has become known -- a last chance to lobby reticent partners, with Geithner in the wings, to accept treaty change as a crucial part of the long-term plan to secure the euro before the summit starts with a dinner on Thursday evening.

(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers and Andreas Rinke in Berlin, Catherine Hornby in Rome and Gilbert Kreijger in the Netherlands; Writing by Paul Taylor, Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111204/bs_nm/us_eurozone

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End of an era: US hands over Camp Victory to Iraqis

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq?? Inside palace walls built by Saddam Hussein, U.S. generals plotted the war's course, tracked the mounting death toll and swore in new American citizens under gaudy glass chandeliers.

Just outside the palace, American troops whacked golf balls into man-made lakes or fished for carp, while others sat down with a cigar and a can of nonalcoholic beer hoping for a respite from incoming rockets or mortar shells.

Along another lake some distance away, a jailed Saddam tended to tomatoes and cucumbers in a small, walled-off enclosure with guards patrolling overhead.

Ever since the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division fought their way into the Baghdad airport grounds nearly nine years ago, the sprawling area they renamed Camp Victory has held a special place in the American military experience in Iraq.

From here, the highest-ranking generals sitting behind banks of telephones and video screens communicated with commanders in the field and political leaders in Washington, and dictated strategy that unfolded on the streets of Fallujah, Mosul and Najaf.

Video: Camp Victory handed over to Iraqi government (on this page)

It was an intersection in the war where U.S. troops, hot and dusty after traveling across Iraq's deadly roads and highways, could relax with a latte or bootlegged movie before heading back out again.

On Friday, the base that at its height was home to 46,000 people was handed over to the Iraqi government as part of American efforts to move all U.S. troops out of the country by the end of the year.

"The base is no longer under U.S. control and is under the full authority of the government of Iraq," said U.S. military spokesman Col. Barry Johnson. He said that by 2 p.m. on Friday, there was no longer any U.S. troop presence at the base.

The transfer of the country's largest American military base to Iraqi custody happened with little fanfare, and no ceremony was held.

The area, which the military formally calls Victory Base Complex, was originally used as a country club for the Baghdad elite under Saddam. A visitor can still find small relics of that era, such as signs advising patrons where to park, or the hours during which the casino was open.

Saddam built the palace complex near the airport out of embarrassment. During the 1978 Arab League summit he was forced to house incoming dignitaries in private homes in Baghdad because he had no proper accommodations, according to Robert O. Kirkland, a former U.S. military historian who interviewed former Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz and other Iraqis who were once in American custody.

To rectify the problem, Saddam went on a palace-building spree, eventually building nine structures of varying size and impressiveness. He gave some of them names that reflected his often convoluted view of the world: Victory over America, Victory over Iran and Victory over Kuwait.

In the run-up to the war, U.S. military planners were confused by a cone-shaped structure they could see from satellite imagery, said Col. Les Melnyk, another former U.S. military historian in Iraq. They labeled it a possible prayer site. It turned out to be a pigeon coop.

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Maj. William Sumner was a captain when his unit arrived at Camp Victory in mid-April 2003. He remembers how Iraqi looters managed to get into the complex and make off with geese, pelicans and other animals from a small zoo Saddam had built.

"I think that's when the cougar got out of the enclosure," he said. For weeks afterward, a large feline, which Sumner said could have also been a bobcat, was spotted wandering around the base.

In the early days after the invasion, soldiers swam in the man-made lakes or toured the islands with paddle boats.

But quickly the atmosphere became more like bases back in the U.S. That meant rules and regulations ? and military police to enforce them. Sumner said during his unit's second week at Victory he was pulled over for speeding.

"After we moved onto our other place, we just tried to refuse to go back there whenever possible," he said.

Victory Base Complex was essentially a city, often hit by rockets or mortar shells. One time the violence came from within. In May 2009, a U.S. soldier shot and killed five fellow troops at a combat stress clinic.

The facility was so big it was divided into sections with different names. Troops could travel from Camp Stryker to Camp Liberty without leaving the base. A public bus system with posted routes transported people to the dining facilities, the gym or a dirt speedway where troops and contractors would race remote-controlled cars.

By the numbers supplied by the U.S. military, it was a substantial operation:

? The incinerators destroyed an average of 178,000 pounds of waste a day.

? A water purification plant produced 1.85 million gallons of water a day.

? A bottled water plant filled 500,000 one-liter bottles a day.

? Three separate plants produced 60 megawatts of power a day.

If soldiers grew tired of food at the massive chow halls, they could grab takeout at Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Cinnabon, Burger King or Subway.

At various stores they could buy anything from illegal DVDs to a Harley Davidson motorcycle delivered straight to their door back in the U.S. when they returned from the war. In the early days of the war, troops could even buy Saddam Hussein's personal silverware and place settings.

Troops and contractors visiting from other bases took tours of the palaces.

One particularly entertaining pastime was feeding the carp in the lake surrounding Al Faw palace, where the top generals and U.S. military officials were based. The aggressive fish would jump out of the water for cereal, Girl Scout cookies and Pop Tarts.

Off-limits to most troops was the jail used to house Saddam and some of his cohorts. In a dilapidated, bomb-damaged building encircled by concertina wire, American troops interrogated and guarded the former dictator before he was handed over to the Iraqis and executed in 2006.

The Iraqi government has not yet announced plans for the complex, prime real estate in a country sorely lacking in parks and public spaces. The Iraqi military is already using some parts, and there is talk of turning Saddam's jail cell into a museum.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45520785/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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