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New iraqi government takes office { May 4 2005 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-iraq4may04,0,5243159.story?coll=la-home-headlineshttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-iraq4may04,0,5243159.story?coll=la-home-headlines
THE WORLD
Iraqi Leaders Take Office
Top Sunni officials are absent for swearing-in of the Shiite-led Cabinet, underscoring divisions that threaten the new government's stability.
By Ashraf Khalil and Patrick J. McDonnell
Times Staff Writers
May 4, 2005
BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers swore in the country's first elected government in generations Tuesday, but top Sunni Arab officials stayed away in an apparent protest that once again highlighted the nation's deep sectarian divides.
Three Sunni officials, led by Vice President Ghazi Ajil Yawer, skipped the swearing-in ceremony of a Cabinet dominated by Shiite Muslims and Kurds — groups that were marginalized during the quarter-century reign of Saddam Hussein, himself a Sunni Arab.
New Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari, a Shiite, pledged that his administration would seek to unite Iraq's fractious religious and ethnic groups. He even made a veiled offer of reconciliation to members of Iraq's Sunni-led insurgency, which has killed more than 120 people in the last week.
But the divisiveness, distrust and group power plays that already threaten the stability of Jafari's government were on stark display.
The prime minister remained unable to fill five ministerial posts, including oil and defense, as well as two deputy prime minister slots. And the absence of Yawer and two Sunni Arab ministers caused a public embarrassment on Jafari's first day formally in power.
"I thought [Yawer] would show up. Somebody needs to talk to him," Jafari aide Laith Kubba said. "My guess is it's normal politics. Maybe a little bit of pressure, maybe a little bit of arm-twisting. But nothing fundamental."
Shiites make up about 60% of Iraq's population and hold a slight majority in the National Assembly. Their rise in this country signals a major power shift in the heart of the Arab world, where Sunnis have long dominated.
Jafari, an Islamic scholar not known as a dynamic public speaker, opened his comments with a Koranic verse on perseverance and hope.
"Surely those who say, 'Our lord is God' and remain steadfast, they shall not fear, nor shall they grieve," he said.
Jafari paid tribute to all Iraqis who "paid the price in blood" to reach this day and suffered for decades under the "killing machine" of the deposed Hussein. He drew applause when he announced, "I am ready to face martyrdom as I am standing on my feet doing my duty."
While dwelling on the atrocities of the Hussein regime, the prime minister made only oblique references to the United States, which had spearheaded the dictator's ouster.
Jafari thanked the "multinational forces for standing at the side of the Iraqi people" and later expressed hope that Iraq's native security forces would quickly develop "so that the foreign presence will disappear from our country."
The comments reflected Iraqi lawmakers' deep ambivalence about the continuing American presence in Iraq: They recognize the need for U.S.-led forces to help battle the insurgency, but they also see that foreign troops fuel broad resentment and inspire young men to join the fierce guerrilla war.
Jafari extended a possible olive branch to insurgents but stopped short of mentioning an amnesty, as proposed recently by President Jalal Talabani.
"Return to the Iraqi people with an apology to participate in our rebuilding and development," Jafari said. "The dialogue of words will lead you to what you couldn't achieve with the dialogue of bullets and the culture of betrayal."
It was unclear whether Jafari's comments would translate into a substantive effort to reach out to insurgent leaders. If so, it would be a dramatic policy reversal for Jafari and the leaders of his United Iraqi Alliance slate, which took first place in January's assembly election.
The Shiite-dominated group has steadfastly refused to accept ministerial candidates with strong links to Hussein's Baathist regime. Furthermore, they have consistently referred to the insurgents as terrorists and criminals who should be dealt with harshly.
Shiite police officers and army recruits have been frequent targets of insurgent violence. Multitudes of Shiite civilians have also been killed or injured in bombings, kidnappings and other attacks. Reaching out to insurgents in any way is a provocative matter in Shiite political circles.
United Iraqi Alliance members have vetoed at least three proposed candidates for defense minister, a post that is mandated to go to a Sunni, on the grounds that the nominees were either too close to the former regime or incompetent. Until the slot is filled, Jafari will be acting defense minister.
Kubba, the prime minister's aide, predicted Tuesday that the defense and other posts would be filled within days. Talks were to continue Tuesday before the Cabinet's swearing-in, but Yawer's absence indicated a serious breakdown in negotiations.
"We were expecting Sheik Yawer…. We waited a long time," Jafari said during a news conference after the ceremony. "We hoped he would be here to share in our happiness."
Yawer's wife, Nisreen Barwari, a Kurd, attended the ceremony and was sworn in as minister of public works. When asked why Yawer didn't attend, she said, "I know why, but I wouldn't tell you."
Two other Sunni Arab officials, Minister of State for Women's Affairs Azhar Shiekhli and Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Saad Nayef, also skipped the ceremony.
Despite the apparent boycott, the ceremonies in a large hall within Baghdad's fortified Green Zone proceeded on schedule. One by one, the new ministers stepped to a lectern before the National Assembly to take the oath of office.
The event had a distinctly Islamic feel. Ministers swore on a copy of the Koran. Each unveiled female minister was handed a blue scarf to briefly cover her hair as she took the oath.
Jafari's government faces an array of challenges, not least of which are the simmering expectations of the Iraqi people, who have suffered through more than two years of war and insecurity amid high unemployment and shortages of power and fuel. He pledged to present his political program within two weeks.
Jafari heads what is essentially Iraqi's third transitional government in two years. Its primary task is to shepherd the country until December, when new elections are expected to be held under a permanent constitution.
Jafari appealed to his countrymen to be realistic, citing his limited time frame and the scope of Iraq's problems.
"Thirty-five weeks is not enough," he said. "It needs more time and more effort. But we will work faithfully and with patience."
A committee of the National Assembly will now oversee the drafting of the constitution. They don't have much time: Under current law, the document must be ready by mid-August. That is slightly more than three months from now — about as long as it took to form a government.
Lawmakers can seek an extension of up to six months, but U.S. officials are pressing the Iraqis to complete the process on time, using the interim constitution as a basis for the final document.
Iraqi officials concede that it will be tough to meet the deadline. The constitution must address some of the nation's thorniest issues, from the role of religion in government to the fate of former Baathist officials. And it must be a work of statecraft that commands broad support.
Under current law, the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites all have effective veto power over the document in a national referendum that is to take place by Oct. 15.
The constitution cannot be adopted if two-thirds of voters in any three of Iraq's 18 provinces reject it. That provision was included at the insistence of the Kurds, but it allows a de-facto Sunni Arab veto because that group dominates at least three provinces.
If the constitution is drafted on time and a referendum is held, a vote for a new National Assembly would have to occur no later than Dec. 15. The government installed Tuesday is expected to be out of office by Dec. 31.
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