Posted on 05/28/2004 4:07:58 PM PDT by My2Cents
U.S., U.N. Blindsided on Iraq PM Announcement
1 hour, 55 minutes ago Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When word surfaced in Baghdad on Friday that Iyad Allawi would lead Iraq's interim government, confusion reigned both in Washington and at the United Nations, despite President Bush's assurances of an orderly handover.
For weeks, the Bush administration has described the selection of the interim government as a process that was being spearheaded by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in consultation with the United States and Iraqis.
Bush, in a major address on Monday, laid out a step by step plan that he said would lead to Iraqi sovereignty on June 30.
But it was the U.S. appointed-Iraqi Governing Council and an aide to Allawi who first disclosed his selection to the top job in the transitional Iraqi government.
Nearly three hours later Brahimi gave his endorsement to Allawi through a spokesman. It took a full three additional hours for a senior administration official in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, to confirm that Allawi would be interim prime minister.
"He will be the prime minister when the interim government is set up in the next two or three days," the official told reporters in a conference telephone call. "We thought he would be an excellent prime minister. ... I think that this is going to work."
Said Brahimi spokesman Ahmad Fawzi: "Mr. Brahimi welcomes the decision to nominate Mr. Allawi."
But those comments came only after a series of U.S. officials had told reporters that as far as they knew, the selection process was not yet complete.
"Mr. Brahimi has not put forward, to the best of my knowledge, a name of -- final recommendations for the interim Iraqi government," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
McClellan suggested that the Iraqi Governing Council's stamp of approval for Allawi was merely one recommendation among many that Brahimi would review.
"They're one of many groups that have made some recommendations to Mr. Brahimi," McClellan said. "As I said, he is consulting widely with Iraqis. I think he's talked to -- well, hundreds of Iraqis, if not more, about who might be good representatives to serve on that interim government."
Asked if he could confirm Allawi would be the new prime minister, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) told reporters early on Friday, "We have no position on any candidate at this moment because we are waiting to hear from Ambassador Brahimi and he needs time to complete his work."
Meanwhile, U.N. chief spokesman Fred Eckhard seemed almost equally in the dark. "I assume this choice will hold, but the process isn't over yet," he told reporters.
In the end, the senior U.S. official in Baghdad left little doubt that Allawi, a British-educated Shiite, would assume the post of interim Iraqi leader.
While saying that Allawi was "acceptable" to the most influential Shi'ite, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the senior U.S. official was careful to make clear Allawi was not a choice the United States was imposing on Iraqis.
"The United States did not pick anybody as its candidate," the official said. "But when we saw the political momentum that he was generating day-by-day as we went through this week, we thought more about it and thought that he would be an excellent prime minister."
"It's Bush's fault!" Well, actually, if this Iraqi interim PM decision is a sign of chaos, then blame it on the UN guy who's suppose to be guiding the process. It's another reason the UN should butt the heck out of anything involving Iraq.
Right, where is the problem with this? And for how long did "confusion reign?" What BS.
Hmmm ... that's a no-win analysis.
No no - I got it - whatever happens on Bush's watch is bad, and whatever happens when we have a 'Rat president is good.
Yes - that makes more sense. Now I see the "logic" of this.
I think this is GREAT news. For one thing, the Iraqis showed they are ready to make decisions. Secondly, Allawi sounds like a very good man. And thirdly, this leaves "Lockdown" Brahimi, the anti-semitic creep, standing there with egg all over his ugly racist face.
This is reuters' spin. No one else is reporting it this way. Ignore what the commie faggots from reuters have to say.
Great, that's the way it's supposed to be.
The road to a free Iraq takes another baby step.
This sounds like a cover story to give the guy a leg up with Iraqi public opinion by making him sound like an Iraqi choice, not a UN or US choice.
Ping
Whoever he is, I hope he's well guarded and that his limo is an Abrams tank.
Even CBS isn't spinning it this way. Reuters might as well be from Mars.
Brahimi's starting to get his work done.
No confusion. The IGC and Brahimi chose this guy. Since he's on the IGC, he won't be backing down. He's used to the situation. Good.
Well, how about that.
What SOMEpeople don't like is that Allawi has stated on several occasions that Saddam was involved in 9-11.
But those comments came only after a series of U.S. officials had told reporters that as far as they knew, the selection process was not yet complete.
"Mr. Brahimi has not put forward, to the best of my knowledge, a name of -- final recommendations for the interim Iraqi government," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
This must be the multilateral decision making the UN and French insist on.
/scarcasm
Thank you for summarizing exactly what I thought reading this tripe.
More on Allawi over here:
I have to say that Fox had a hint of this tone in their reporting. While they were talking about it I was thinking "Now try and tell us the U.S. handpicked this".
Actually, they probably WILL turn around and say that as things proceed.
bingo.
That's what I thought listening to the Fox discussion (but evidently it didn't occur to any of them).
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