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| Iraq |
| Baghdad ’Governor’ Says Wants to Work with Garner |
| 2003-04-25 |
| EFL Baghdad's self-declared mayor said Friday he wanted to cooperate with the U.S.-led team rebuilding Iraq and would soon meet the retired U.S. general in charge, Jay Garner. U.S. officials have so far snubbed Mohammed Mohsen Zubaidi, a former Iraqi exile who says he has been chosen by prominent citizens to head an executive council running the city. Zubaidi appealed for cooperation a day after Garner threatened to boot him out if residents rejected him. At a meeting of tribal chiefs and other citizens, Zubaidi said the city would show its support for his council, which Washington does not recognize, on April 27. He did not say how. Election? Show of hands? CNN/Time poll? One member of Zubaidi's council said they had taken $260 million off looters who plundered the capital after U.S. troops entered and pledged to use some of it to help pay civil servants' salaries. "Our work does not contradict that of the American forces, the American officials (and) Mr Garner ... We are people who serve their country," said Zubaidi. "We hope they coordinate with us," he said, adding that he expected to meet Garner by Monday. There was no immediate response from Garner -- who heads the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, charged with supervising the rebuilding of Iraq and running a civil administration to prepare for an interim Iraqi government. U.S. officials say Washington does not recognize Zubaidi's authority since he was not chosen democratically. Do we know where this guy came from or how he was appointed? Zubaidi has said he was elected by people representing clerics, academics, Shi'ites and Sunni Muslims, Christians, writers and journalists. And where was this election? He has also said he was in close contact with the U.S. military, although not appointed by them. The Republician Guard was in close contact with the US Military, I'm not sure that's a plus. Undaunted by U.S. snubs, he has appointed 22 committees to function in place of ministries, including health, electricity, oil and industry, and promised to pay salaries this month with a 1,000 percent raise. My God, it's Al Gore! Reporters have seen him touring hospitals and water plants and holding meetings at the Palestine hotel, dressed in a dapper Western suit, with an entourage of about a dozen people, including one local sheikh. "We have not imposed ourselves on the people. We are not a gang, and we are not a party. We are a group of faithful Iraqi technocrats who aim to save the people," Zubaidi said. It is Al Gore! "There must be a coordination between us and the coalition forces ... We are working to prove to the whole world that we are able to stand on our feet again and restore life back to the city." Garner said Thursday the process of forming a government run by Iraqis would start by the end of next week. His team of 400 people will try to get 20 ministries up and running. Garner also said that if Baghdad citizens were unhappy with Zubaidi he would ask him to leave and "show him how to leave." Now that's a "Get out of Dodge" statement if I ever heard one. Some residents say they have never heard of Zubaidi, or an election for the mayor's office, but so far he appears to have been well received in a city desperate for order, power, food and water. Zubaidi said Friday electricity, water supplies and telecommunications had been restored to parts of the city and a new chief of police -- General Zuhair al-Ni'imi -- had been appointed by U.S.-led forces. Have we waited too long to get rid of this guy? Karim Munshial-Assadi, head of the finance and management committee in the executive council, said the council would soon start paying civil servants' salaries. "We are now in control of money that remained in banks," Assadi said. "Besides that we were able to save stolen money." Assadi, once a Finance Ministry director general, said his council had helped to save $260 million from looters, which had been transferred to the central bank along with cash from other Iraqi banks in the capital. OK, is Mohammed Mohsen Zubaidi: A. Iraqi patriot eager to help his country? B. Trouble maker trying to hinder U.S. rebuilding efforts? C. Con artist out to make himself the Mayor Daley of Baghdad? A or C I can work with. B stumbles into a bomb crater. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 Said Abbas has left the building! (but where is elvis?) AP "The Shiite cleric who took over Kut's city hall and claimed control of this southeastern Iraqi city has left the building peacefully, U.S. military officials said Friday. The reasons for Said Abbas' retreat were unclear. The cleric's followers had been protesting the presence of U.S. troops. " Looks like a defeat for SCIRI and the Iranians. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-25 16:11:18 |
| #7 From Reuters : "More than 100 Iraqis in exile from across the opposition political spectrum gathered in Madrid on Friday for a weekend of talks on future democracy in Iraq Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, firm supporters of the U.S. war to topple President Saddam Hussein , inaugurated the conference and offered support in the rebuilding of Iraq. Members of the long-exiled, pro-U.S. Iraqi National Congress, the Shi'ite Muslim party Al Dawa, the Iraqi Communist Party, Kurdish parties and other groups will meet this weekend. " Interesting that while SCIRI again boycotted, Al Dawa participated. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-25 15:54:30 |
| #6 so - to sum up who is for UN running Iraq raise your hands Outside - Weasels, Iran, Arab states, US Department of State, liberal commentators (even some hawks) Inside - SCIRI, Pachachi, Etc? Who wants the US to run Iraq till a new admin, rather than the UN? Outside - Dept of Defense, most hawkish commentators Inside - Chalabi and INC, Kurds Who is not sure? Outside - UK, Inside - Ayatollah Sistani, Sadr, "governor" zubaidi, etc |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-25 15:15:20 |
| #5 from reuters: "The influential Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) boycotted Garner's first meeting and will do so again when he brings Iraqi politicians together in Baghdad next Monday, SCIRI representative Hamid al-Bayati said on Friday. Bayati, head of the SCIRI office in London, told Reuters that the State Department had more experience of the Iraqi opposition than the Pentagon and had a better understanding of the political landscape of Iraq." So it seems SCIRI is not boycotting Garner cause hes an American infidel but because of his affiliations on the Potomac IE "for Iraq to be ruled by neo con defense intellectuals is an offense to the honor of Islam - on the other hand to be ruled by the striped pants boys from Foggy Bottom is a blessing, truly the will of Allah as expressed in the Koran and Hadiths, in the Shura on interdepartmental in-fighting." |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-25 15:05:51 |
| #4 We're going to have to recruit Iraqi policians from somewhere and politicians are nothing if not "self-starting." Read'em the riot act and see if he's willing to play ball. |
| Posted by: Hiryu 2003-04-25 13:28:23 |
| #3 one note - we dont want elections before there'sa functioning press, political parties, independent judiciary, etc. Holding elections earlier is a recipe for electing a new dictator (think Bob Mugabe, Cambodia, much of Central Asia for example) so what we are looking for at this stage is "consensus" among local notables - but who's a notable? and consensus can be manufactured by the guy who delivers the services. I suspect Baghdad will be much harder in this regard than the smaller, more homogeneuous southern cities. as for A, B, C? Definitely C, IMO. And I think C is what Iraq principally needs - most 3rd world countries could a use a few more Mayor Dailey's prepared to exchange real service delivery for votes, rather than a lot of nationalist ideologues (Dailey of course had the good sense to limit patronage to the public sector, and to make sure political appointees still DID deliver services, unlike some 3rd world kleptocrats) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-25 13:24:20 |
| #2 "Besides that we were able to save stolen money." Assadi, once a Finance Ministry director general, said his council had helped to save $260 million from looters, which had been transferred to the central bank along with cash from other Iraqi banks in the capital. That is rich! Pardon the pun. Go get a bunch of cash lying around after the war to finance your own political machine. Whatever Mr. Zubaidi is, he can smell an opportunity and knows how to play to the press and the people when there is a political vacuum. It will be interesting how this plays out. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-25 13:18:26 |
| #1 avid practitioner of the big lie. He's a combination of Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, self-annointed "leaders". They were appointed in the same manner this fool was. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-25 13:13:05 |