Gość: TOD
IP: 5.5R* / *.lax.untd.com
01.06.04, 16:20
ZYDY JUZ RECE ZACIERALI ZE DARMOWA NAFTA
POPLYNIE DO ISRAELA, A TU NIC Z TEGO NIE
WYSZLO - IRACKI ZYD Z NOWEGO YORKU NIE
BEDZIE TYMCZASOWYM IRACKIM PREZDENYEM.
Al-Yawer named Iraq's new president.
-----------------------------------
BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. and Saudi-educated
head of Iraq's Governing Council was named
president of the interim Iraqi government
Tuesday, after the Americans' preferred
candidate turned down the post.
Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer has been sharply critical of the American
occupation.
By Muhammed Muheisen, AP file
The selection of Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer to the largely ceremonial
position broke a deadlock over the makeup of a new Iraqi government set to
assume power June 30. Iraqi leaders said the Americans were trying to force
them to accept the U.S.-backed candidate. (Related story: Who is Al-Yawer?)
The Governing Council then decided to dissolve immediately rather than remain
in office until the transfer of sovereignty to the new government, said
council member Younadam Kana.
A senior Bush administration official said the council dissolved to allow the
new government to begin taking over responsibilities immediately. Still, the
U.S.-led occupation authority will continue to run Iraq until June 30, the
official said on condition of anonymity.
"We Iraqis look forward to being granted full sovereignty through a Security
Council resolution to enable us to rebuild a free, independent, democratic
and federal unified homeland," al-Yawer told a press conference.
The prime minister of the incoming government, Iyad Allawi, also announced
his 30-member Cabinet. The administration official said the new Cabinet would
begin negotiations on the status of U.S.-led international forces in Iraq
after June 30 "fairly soon."
In those talks, the Iraqis are seeking greater say over the operations of
Iraqi security forces as well as the 135,000 American troops and other
coalition forces on Iraqi soil.
The new Minister of Industry Hajim al-Hassani told Al-Jazeera that as of
Wednesday there would be "no more American coordinators to impose their will
on Iraqi ministries."
"The ministries can make use of their available expertise but the final
decision will be an Iraqi one," he said.
Al-Yawer, a Sunni Muslim who has sharply criticised U.S. policy in Iraq, will
hold the largely symbolic post of president, while the more powerful position
of prime minister goes to Allawi, a U.S.-backed Shiite Muslim with military
and CIA connections.
Allawi, whose appointment was announced Friday, was chosen because he was
considered the best candidate to cope with the deteriorating security
situation.
As word of the appointment was announced, a car bomb blew up outside the
offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which is located just outside
the green zone U.S. coalition headquarters in central Baghdad.
The Arab language television stations Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya quoted police
as saying about 10 people were killed, but the information could not
immediately be confirmed. Another blast, followed by gunfire, sent a mushroom
cloud billowing into the air. Coalition aircraft could be heard flying over
Baghdad.
The PUK is seen as being close to the Americans, and fighters from the party
backed American forces in last year's invasion. Under the leadership of Jalal
Talabani, the party represented one of the main anti-Saddam forces on Iraqi
soil after the Gulf War.
It was not immediately clear if the blast was tied to Tuesday's government
announcement.
A roadside bomb also exploded near a U.S. military base in the northern town
of Beiji, killing 11 Iraqis — including seven members of the Iraqi Civil
Defense Corps — and wounding more than 22 people, including two U.S.
soldiers.
Council members had angrily accused the American governor of Iraq, Paul
Bremer, of trying to install Adnan Pachachi, a former foreign minister, over
their opposition.
Sources had said earlier that the Americans warned that if the members went
ahead and voted for al-Yawer, the United States might not recognize the
choice.
Al-Yawer, who routinely wears traditional Arab robes and head gear, was
sharply critical of the American occupation in a recent television interview,
blaming U.S. ineptness for the deterioration in law and order. Al-Yawer also
has denounced violence against American and other coalition forces.
U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who announced al-Yawer's appointment, had hoped
to complete the selection of the 26-member Cabinet by Monday, but the dispute
over the presidency delayed the decision for a day. (Related item: List of
Iraqi Cabinet members)
Brahimi said the two vice presidencies went to Ibrahim al-Jaafari, of the
Shiite Muslim Dawa party, and Rowsch Shaways, speaker of parliament in the
Kurdish autonomous region in Irbil.
Most of the 22-member Governing Council backed al-Yawer, the current
Governing Council president. A graduate of the Petroleum and Minerals
University in Saudi Arabia and of Georgetown University, he is a prominent
member of the Shammar tribe, one of the largest in the Gulf region that
includes Shiite clans. He enjoys the support of Shiite and Kurdish council
members.
Brahimi, flanked by Allawi and al-Yawer, congratulated the two and said, "The
people of Iraq will be praying all over the country for the success of their
mission, which aims at starting the rebuilding of the new Iraq."
Coalition spokesman Dan Senor insisted the Americans have not shown a
preference for Pachachi, a claim that many council members dismissed as
untrue.
"We lobbied for neither one," the senior administration official said. U.S.
officials in Baghdad "went back to Washington for guidance" and were told
that either would be "an excellent president for Iraq."
If the Americans had insisted on Pachachi, they would have risked a major
breach with their Iraqi allies at a sensitive period as Washington prepares
to hand control of a still-unstable, war-ravaged country to an untested
leadership.
Adnan Pachachi, 81, told reporters he turned down the presidency
for "personal reasons" and denied that he was the coalition's choice.
He said the president "must have the support of all levels of the Iraqi
people and all quarters."
In the newly announced Cabinet, Kurd Hoshyar Zebari retained his post as
foreign minister, and Kurdish official Barham Saleh, who is close to the
Americans, was named deputy prime minister for national security affairs.
Adil Abdel-Mahdi, an official of a powerful Shiite political party, was named
finance minister; Hazem Shalan al-Khuzaei became defense minister; and Thamir
Ghadbhan took over as oil minister.
In Mosul, al-Yawer's hometown, crowds swept into the streets to celebrate the
news, cheering and firing weapons in the air.
Al-Yawer's appointment comes at a delicate time for President Bush. Facing
election in November, he must ensure that Iraqi politicians who take power
next month are supportive of American goals in Iraq.
With more than 800 U.S. military dead since the Iraq war began in March 2003,
Washington is eager to see a government that can tackle the security crisis,
including a year-old Sunni revolt in Baghdad and areas north and west of the
capital and a Shiite uprising to the south.
