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| Axis of Evil |
| Cheney to address Iraqi oppostion... |
| 2002-08-10 |
| Vice President Dick Cheney will address representatives from six Iraqi opposition groups Saturday via a videoconference link a day after the group had what they said was "important and constructive" talks with U.S. State Department and Pentagon officials. He will speak via a "secure videoconference" from his vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a day after the six groups based in London and Tehran won encouragement from Secretary of State Colin Powell in their pledge to work together to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. This is the only "coalition" that's going to count in this war. It's going to be fragile, especially if we don't achieve immediate, spectacular successes, like the army turning on Sammy and tossing him out. And after Sammy is gone, we're going to have to contend with the internal agendas of the opposition, most especially the gravitation of the Shi'ites to Iran. It wouldn't do at all to dump Sammy and then have the country we just liberated turn around and embrace another member of the Axis of Evil — but that's the way gratitude works in the Middle East... Those attending represent what the administration considers the six most prominent Iraqi opposition groups. The representatives included: Sharif Ali bin Hussein, of the Constitutional Monarchy Movement; Iyad Allawi, of the Iraqi National Accord; Mohammed Bakr al-Hakim, of the Iran-based Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution; Masoud Barzani, of the Kurdish Democratic Party; Ahmad Chalabi, of the Iraqi National Congress; and Jalal Talabani, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. In a telephone interview following the meeting, Chalabi told CNN that the United States made clear it was the opposition's "partners in the removal of Saddam." So is Talabani actually on board? Or is he going to stay bought by the Soddies? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Read an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune that noted that many Iraqis are fed up with Saddam, though they won't say so publicly, for obvious reasons. The other interesting comment was how they all saw themselves as Iraqis first, regardless of their ethnic/religious background. The article noted that Iraqis, despite the war, blockade and Saddam, remain a cosmopolitan people. It looks as if the Shi'ites might be pleased as punch to be part of a federal Iraq that is forward looking and rebuilding with some oil wealth, as opposed to being saddled with a new set of oppressors, er, mullahs. Certainly the Kurds would be in clover. Regards (and a big thanks once again for your continued excellence on this website) |
| Posted by: Steve White 2002-08-10 14:02:05 |