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Setting up puppet government { April 15 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2948351.stmIraqi Shia fear that Washington is planning to impose a pro-US puppet government in their country, he says, while Washington does not want pro-Iranian Shia groups to play a major role in the future of Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2948351.stm
Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 April, 2003, 09:33 GMT 10:33 UK
Divided Iraqis to hold post-war talks
The United States is due to begin the first formal moves towards establishing a new government in Iraq following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime by American-led coalition forces.
Representatives of exiled opposition groups are being flown to an airbase outside the southern city of Nasiriya to meet local tribal and religious leaders.
American officials say the forum will be the first of many, and there will be substantial debate before there is any attempt to shape an interim authority.
But BBC correspondents in Iraq say there is concern that Iraqi relief at the fall of Saddam Hussein will turn into resentment over what many perceive as an American occupation.
This conference is organised by General Tommy Franks, and we can't be part of a meeting for the Iraqis organised by a US general
Hamid al-Bayati
Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq
Chairing the meeting will be US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who played a similar role in setting up the post-Taleban administration in Afghanistan.
Jay Garner, the retired American general appointed by the US Government to run post-war Iraq until an interim administration can take over, will also attend.
But one of the country's main Shia Muslim groups, the Iranian-based Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), is boycotting the meeting in protest at the US role.
In other developments: The US military announces the withdrawal of two of its five aircraft carriers from the Gulf region after declaring that the capture of Saddam Hussein's powerbase, Tikrit, means that the major battles in Iraq are over
The US Army's 1st Armoured Division prepares for deployment to the Gulf in the next couple of weeks from its bases in Germany and Kansas.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell says economic and diplomatic sanctions are being considered against Syria, which Washington accuses of providing safe haven to the former Iraqi regime's officials and developing chemical weapons
Australia plans to bring its 2,000-strong military contingent home from Iraq soon but says it will send 12 specialists there within a week to help track down weapons of mass destruction
Priceless records are reportedly lost in a blaze that gutted Iraq's national library and archives in the capital Baghdad
Order is gradually being restored to Iraqi cities after days of looting following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime; joint US-Iraqi patrols have begun work in Baghdad.
Correspondents say that brokering an agreement between Iraq's fractious religious and ethnic groups will not be easy.
The Americans are trying to bring together potential community leaders who have stayed in the country during Saddam Hussein's rule and opposition figures who have returned home - in some cases after decades in exile.
But the success of the entire US-led venture in Iraq depends on the successful establishment of a new government, correspondents say.
HUMAN COST OF WAR
Iraq: At least 1254 civilian deaths*, more than 2320 military deaths**
US: 112 dead (including 27 in non-combat accidents, 6 to 'friendly fire', 2 under investigation), 2 missing
UK: 30 dead (including 16 in non-combat accidents, 5 to 'friendly fire')
Media: 12 dead, 2 missing
Sources:
*Former regime, **US military
One of the returnees, Ahmed Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress, is widely seen as the US Defence Department's choice to lead post-war Iraq - but he has told the French daily newspaper Le Monde that he is "not a candidate for any post".
BBC regional analyst Sadeq Saba says SCIRI's hardline stance indicates that there is deep mistrust between Iraqi Shia groups and the US.
Iraqi Shia fear that Washington is planning to impose a pro-US puppet government in their country, he says, while Washington does not want pro-Iranian Shia groups to play a major role in the future of Iraq.
Shia constitute about 60% of the Iraqi population and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, with an estimated 15,000 fighters, is believed to be one of the best organised Iraqi opposition groups.
UN role?
It remains unclear exactly what role the US will allow the United Nations - given observer status at the Nasiriya meeting - play in the creation of a new government of Iraq.
General Garner has said that progress in the port city of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq will be used as a model for attempting to create democracy throughout the country.
Links fostered with city elders in Umm Qasr had helped people there to start their own democratic process and kick-started civic projects, he told the BBC.
General Garner said the aim of the planned meetings was to use dialogue to allow potential Iraqi leaders to emerge and then take charge of their country.
He stressed that the American and British forces would maintain a humanitarian role in Iraq.
Egypt and Jordan called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq and the formation of a representative Iraqi government, following talks in Cairo between the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and King Abdullah of Jordan.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/2948351.stm
Published: 2003/04/15 09:33:02
© BBC MMIII
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