Iraq's balky Governing Council plays power broker

By Seattle Times news services

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Last week, it upstaged United Nations special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi by saying it had chosen Iyad Allawi as prime minister, the highest post in the interim government expected to run Iraq until elections are held by the end of January.

And with its refusal to accept the U.S. choice for president, Adnan Pachachi, it forced civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer to push back the announcement, torpedoing the U.S. deadline of appointing the interim government before June.

Indeed, the council's defiance resulted in the naming today of Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer as president after Pachachi turned down the post, council members and officials said.

An aide to Pachachi, 81, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the former foreign minister was named president but immediately turned down the post. Council member Nasser Kamel al-Chaderchi said Pachachi apologized to his colleagues for the controversy surrounding the appointment and yielded to al-Yawer.

Soran Othman, son of an aide to council member Mahmoud Othman, said Pachachi stepped aside because the majority of Governing Council members wanted al-Yawer. Nasser Kamel al-Chaderchi said al-Yawer, the current Governing Council president, then accepted the post in a move to break the deadlock over selection of a new government.

A formal announcement about the largely ceremonial post was expected later today

Council members are angry at what they see as unwarranted U.S. interference in choosing the transitional government, a process that was supposed to be led by Brahimi at the behest of the Bush administration.

The 24-member council, a mix of seasoned politicians, exiles, academics and tribal leaders, appeared doomed to irrelevancy when Brahimi said last month that none of them would appear in the post-June 30 administration.

Brahimi, charged with helping to form a transitional government, favored a team of technocrats who could hold Iraq together until national elections.

But Friday, the council surprised everyone by announcing it had endorsed Allawi, a member of the council, as prime minister.
 
Allawi, who has spent months lobbying for backing in Washington, appears to be the favored choice of the United States.

However, his swift dismissal of 17 ministers, including Interior Minister Samir al-Sumaidie, who had the daunting task of overseeing security, is raising concern that fresh appointments will be based on cronyism rather than merit.

"Al-Sumaidie was making progress and this is a job that needs continuity," a coalition official said. "His being fired puts us two to three months behind. Before, we were taking two steps forward and one back, and now it's two steps back and, hopefully, one forward."

Al-Yawer, 45, and Pachachi, a former foreign minister are both Sunni Muslims.

Al-Yawer, a U.S.-educated engineer and leader of the prominent Shammar tribe, has expressed criticism of the occupation and U.S. military actions. Pachachi, a veteran Iraqi politician, is regarded as generally pro-U.S.

Despite criticism of past coalition actions, al-Yawer is a vocal opponent of the mainly Sunni-driven insurgency. His influence with Iraq's tribes could help reduce the level of violence, reassuring nervous Sunnis that they will not be marginalized in the new Iraq.

The tough stand by Bremer in support of Pachachi was unexpected because the presidency will be a figurehead post, but coalition officials privately conceded that Pachachi had the backing of the Americans because he was seen as the one person who would stand by the temporary constitution during the interim period. "Everyone else will just ignore it like any piece of paper," one coalition official said.

The constitution sparked opposition among Shiites, who represent 65 percent of the population. They resented a clause that potentially allowed Kurds and Sunnis to veto a future constitution.

A senior coalition official insisted yesterday that the Iraq Governing Council has not usurped the process of forming the new government and that Brahimi is still in control.

"The Governing Council may favor one candidate over another, but it's not a decision for the council to make. It's a decision for the Iraqis to make," the official said. "The council has an important say, but there are many other constituents out there and Brahimi is trying to get a consensus."

Although the Bush administration has said it would allow Brahimi to select the interim government, council members insisted Brahimi's role has been subordinated by U.S. officials who want a new government that is closely allied with Washington.

"The Americans are controlling the process," said a council member who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Brahimi's role seems to be diminishing. We don't hear from him. He seems to be under the Americans now."

Dan Senor, chief spokesman for the occupation authority, denied there had been any interference in the selection of an interim government.

"One thing is certain. Iraq is now a free country, and many people will have views about who should lead the country during this interim period, and they will express those views," he said.

Compiled from The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.