Accelerating transfer of power Jordan Times

Opinion, September 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

Accelerating transfer of power

Jordan Times

Thursday, September 25, 2003

AMIDST INCREASING calls for a swifter transfer of powers and sovereignty to the Iraqi people from within and without Iraq, US President George Bush's speech to the 58th session of the UN General Assembly last Tuesday on this very point was quite disappointing and confusing at best. Bush's rebuttal to such calls, which included voices from within Washington's handpicked Iraqi Governing Council, was expressed as follows: " This process (transfer of sovereignty to Iraq) must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties." First the international community must try to understand what the US president meant by his carefully chosen words on the issue of sovereignty transfer.
Bush seems to be of the opinion that the transfer of authority to Iraqis must be realised progressively, according to their needs. If the needs of the Iraqis are what will determine and dictate the pace of the process of sovereignty transfer, then who can better comprehend and express this need than the Iraqi people themselves? Surely it is not up to the US or even the UN to rule on this point.

As for Bush's other qualifying words to the effect that the speed of any such transfer of power must neither be hurried nor delayed by the wish of other parties — one can rightfully inquire about the identity of these "other parties." And what was the purpose of saying that the process may not be speeded up or slowed down? Is there such a thing as moderate speed.

Ahmed Chalabi, a key member of the 25-member Governing Council and the chosen Iraqi chief representative to the current General Assembly session specifically called for at least joint control with the coalition forces over Iraq's finances including oil revenues. He also called for wider Iraqi involvement in maintaining law and order in the country. And when he was pressed for an answer about the speed of transfer of authority and control to the Iraqis, Chalabi was swift and direct — "right away," he said.

French President Jacques Chirac, who also addressed the General Assembly last Tuesday and is the champion of calls for sovereignty transfer, had however, this to say about the issue: "It is the UN's task to lend legitimacy to this process. It is also the UN's responsibility to assist the gradual transfer of administrative and economic responsibilities to the current Iraqi institutions, following a realistic timetable." The key thoughts here are the role of the UN in this process must be greater, the pace of this process must be gradual, and the reference to current Iraqi institutions must necessarily include the current Iraqi interim Governing Council.

Against this backdrop, the gap between the various scenarios being entertained in this context is not so wide that it cannot be bridged. This gap will be resolved when the time comes up for adopting the projected US-sponsored Security Council resolution on Iraq.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).