Interim leaders named in Iraq

By Seattle Times news services

Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer

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The naming of the interim government — the result of four weeks of sometimes acrimonious negotiations involving the United States, the Iraq Governing Council and the United Nations — marks a turning point for Iraqis anxious to see an end to the U.S.-led occupation.

The government, chosen to represent Iraq's major Shiite Muslim, Sunni Muslim and Kurdish factions, contains many of the people on the U.S.-appointed Governing Council it was intended to replace.

The interim government will not officially take office until July 1, but the U.S.-appointed Governing Council chose to dissolve itself immediately. Until then, ultimate authority will remain with the U.S.-run Coalition Provisional Authority. Starting today, however, the interim government will run the ministries, make day-to-day decisions and craft policy.

	KHAMPHA BOUAPHANH / FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM Ghazi Ajil al-Yawer, left, who will be Iraq's president in the interim government, speaks with Rowsch Shaways, one of the two vice presidents, during the ceremony at which the government was announced.

Iraqi officials prevailed in their choice for president, Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, a Sunni critic of the occupation, over the candidate favored by the United States.

Al-Yawer was named to the largely ceremonial post by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, charged by the United Nations and the United States with forming a transition government.

Al-Yawer and Prime Minister-designate Iyad Allawi would head an interim government until January 2005, when elections are scheduled. The interim government's authority would emanate from a U.N. Security Council resolution that is awaiting approval.

With no power to make or revoke laws, the new government — including a prime minister, president, two vice presidents and 33 Cabinet ministers — will be chiefly charged with organizing the elections.

The body includes a mix of politicians, intellectuals and business leaders. Many are U.S.-educated, Western-leaning former exiles who are likely to support U.S. policies in Iraq, but there are also a few whose appointments the U.S. resisted.

Even though Iraq's new president and prime minister did not appear to be the U.S. government's top choices, they and other leaders appointed yesterday were selected from a pool of politicians that has worked with the U.S. civilian administration for more than a year. In Washington, D.C., President Bush welcomed the announcement of the new government. "The naming of the new interim government brings us one step closer to realizing the dream of millions of Iraqis: a fully sovereign nation with a representative government that protects their rights and serves their needs," he said.

Bush said he had no role — "zero" — in picking the president.

Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national-security adviser, said the new government is made up of independent-minded Iraqis.

"These are not America's puppets," she said. Until the past few days, al-Yawer had been a fairly low-key member of the Governing Council. But as the United States advocated the candidacy of former Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi for president, most council members lined up behind al-Yawer.

Brahimi said the presidency was first offered yesterday to Pachachi, who also served on the council. But Pachachi said he declined after being unfairly labeled as the candidate most-favored by the United States. Being linked to the U.S. made him look "less patriotic," he said.

Al-Yawer is a pragmatist who collaborated with coalition forces. However, he has repeatedly criticized the U.S. military on several recent issues, including the siege of Fallujah and Najaf and the raid on the offices of council member Ahmad Chalabi.

The interim president and Cabinet members were introduced in a ceremony at one of Saddam Hussein's former Republican palaces that is now used as the headquarters of the occupying forces.

Allawi promised to increase the pay for Iraqi soldiers. And the former exile leader who was supported by the CIA switched during his speech from Arabic to English to thank the United States.

"We would like to express our extreme gratitude and appreciation for the coalition led by the United States and all those who have made painful sacrifices for the liberation of Iraq," he said.

Heavily armed U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces ringed the two-story building where the ceremony was held.

Dressed in a traditional flowing white tribal dress, al-Yawer called upon the United States to hand complete control over Iraq to the interim government. "We Iraqis look forward to being granted full sovereignty through a (U.N.) Security Council resolution to enable us to rebuild a free, independent, democratic and federally unified homeland," al-Yawer said.

After suggesting that the United States would transfer "limited sovereignty" to the interim government, Bush administration officials recently agreed to hand over "full sovereignty."

Al-Yawer derives his support mainly from the 200,000-strong Shammar tribe, one of Iraq's largest. The clan's affiliation stretches to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and the Gulf States.

Al-Yawer earned a master's degree in civil engineering from George Washington University. After the first Iraq war, he fled to Saudi Arabia, where he ran a successful telecommunications company. He returned to Iraq shortly after the U.S.-led invasion.

Many Iraqis know little about al-Yawer, but many appeared impressed by his role as a traditional sheik. "He came out of nowhere, but he belongs to the Shammar tribe, so we respect him," said Muthana al-Ebady, 32.

The new Cabinet includes Ibrahim al-Jaafari of the Shiite Muslim Dawa party and Rowsch Shaways, speaker of Parliament in the Kurdish autonomous region in Irbil; they were named vice presidents.

Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, was named foreign minister, and another Kurdish official, Barham Saleh, was named deputy prime minister for national security. Hazem Shalan al-Khuzaei is the new defense minister.

Complied from USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Associated Press and Chicago Tribune reports.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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