Posted on 06/01/2004 12:53:28 AM PDT by AntiGuv
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Former Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi was appointed as Iraq's new president Tuesday but turned down the post, an aide said. Governing Council President Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer was then named to the top post, a council member said.
Nasser Kamel al-Chaderchi said al-Yawer accepted the post in a move to break the deadlock over selection of a new government to take power June 30, council member Nasser Kamel al-Chaderchi said.
The Americans had favored Pachachi, 81, while most of the Governing Council backed al-Yawer. An aide to Pachachi, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the elderly figure turned down the job, and the account was confirmed by al-Chaderchi.
A formal announcement was expected within hours.
The confusing scenario unfolded after council members angrily accused the American governor of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, of trying to strongarm the choice of Pachachi for the largely ceremonial post.
Earlier Tuesday, council members had said they expected a third name to be put forward. Some sources close to the deliberations, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested the choice could be Saad al-Janabi, who was close to Saddam Hussein until he fled to Kuwait and the United States in the 1990s.
On Friday, the most powerful post, the prime ministership, went to Iyad Allawi, a U.S.-backed Shiite Muslim with military and CIA connections. The presidency was to go to a Sunni Muslim Arab. Both Pachachi and al-Yawer are Sunnis.
U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi had hoped to complete the selection of the 26-member Cabinet by Monday. However, a Governing Council session that was to have chosen a president was postponed until Tuesday, with sharp differences remaining between the council and the coalition over the largely ceremonial head of state job.
GOOGLE Search Term: "al-Yawer"
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22al-Yawer%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&filter=0
sounds like they are choosing who they want.
Well, that about wraps things up. Can we go home now?
I say let's put Al-Gore in charge and see if he isn't stunned into silence.
"Can we go home now?"
If Iraq wants us to, or if we get ticked off enough at the new Iraqi government, then we go home. Or we could leave right now, and then the extremists take over immediately, while terrorists might pull out the stops and kill thousands of US troops in a single day.
"I say let's put Al-Gore in charge and see if he isn't stunned into silence."
Brilliant hypothetical. We could ask any liberal, "If you were put in power in Iraq today, would you ask the US troops to pull out or stay?" That would cause smoke to rise from their heads.
You're no fun!
Bump!
Are we just trying to make it appear that Al-Yawer is not our puppet?
Why did we oppose him and get Pachachi appointed instead?
Why did Pachachi refuse after we went to the political trouble to get him picked?
How did we get Pachachi approved if the Council wanted Al-Yawer all along?
This whole thing is confusing and the Media only wants to make sure that they can paint America as the bad guy, so there has to be a negative spin. Are we ok with this Al-Yawer guy?
Exactly....why did we tick off the new Iraqi Government.....when we didn't have to..
I don't know, but somebody in Iraq doesn't like him: according to the Spanish press, after the announcement, there were four explosions this morning in the Green Zone, killing 25 people, and a suicide attack at the military base in Baiji, north of Baghdad, that killed 11 Iraqis and wounded some 20.
The explosions have targetted the Kurds, so there's no reason to conclude that it has anything to do with Al-Yawer's appointment..
To be exact, it was the offices of the Kurdistan Patriotic Union that appear to have been blown up. Al-Yawer is a Sunni and if someone wanted to express disapproval of his selection, they would hardly do it by attacking the Kurdish people..
Aren't you home? We can go home anytime we like, unlike the military, but some of us want to see this thing through to its objective. Democracy.
We've spent too many precious lives and too much money not to finish the task.
thanks for the front line report.
and more importantly thanks for serving our country!
Yeah, we heard it over here. It shook things, but wasn't as close to us as to you.
Glad y'all are OK over there.
Actually, I think what they don't like is simply that progress is being made. These attacks are obviously designed to express their disapproval of everyone and everything involved in moving ahead in Iraq. I suppose, alas, that there will only be more attacks in the next couple of weeks.
Stay safe, tomakaze.
Oh, well why didn't you say that to begin with?! I agree.
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