Chalabi claims numbers to be Iraqi PM

Australian Broadcasting ^ | 2005-02-21

[Lessismore]

Controversial Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi says he believes he has the votes to become the war-torn country's new prime minister.

Mr Chalabi, once supported by the United States only to fall from favour, is part of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) list that won 140 seats of the 275-member national assembly in the January 30 elections.

"I believe I have a majority of the [UIA] votes on my side right now" to become the new government's prime minister, Mr Chalabi told United States ABC television.

However, the former exile remained cautious, saying the choice of premier "will be decided by the parliamentary bloc", which he did not want to "second guess".

On Tuesday, sources in the Shiite coalition said it had chosen interim vice president and Dawa party leader Ibrahim Jaafari as its candidate for prime minister.

Mr Chalabi said he was ready to cooperate if he were not picked to lead the government.

"We want to change the way Iraq is governed," he said.

"It will no longer be the government of a leader with everybody else not counting very much.

"We want to have a cabinet form of executive authority in Iraq and I am perfectly willing to cooperate, as indeed are my other friends and colleagues who are competing for the job of prime minister, with any prime minister that will come out for the service of ... the country."

[piasa]

am I just guessing or is Pat Lang a registered foreign agent of Lebanon? [as occupied by Syria]

[flaglady47]

I think Chalabi, although a slickster and wheeler-dealer, is a real smart cookie, basically pro-American, much more secular than the alternative candidate, and has contacts galore everywhere. I think he was villified and set up by the CIA and State Dept. for reasons unknown, although I suspect they were anti-Chalabi because Rummy was pro-Chalabi. So once again, State Dept. vs. Pentagon. I trust Rummy more than the State Dept., and I think Chalabi was being railroaded. I'm not saying that Chalabi probably isn't a bit shady, but he worked for years, in exile, to end Saddam's regime, and wants the best for Iraq. If he becomes PM, I think he is preferable to a much more religiously (pro sharia law) alternative candidate being promoted by Sistani. The more secular Iraq is, the better its chances of surviving as a quasi-democratic state.

[Falsus]

I'm very sorry for the choice of words, I meant it metaphorically. I'm very pessimistic about this fellow. I like it that he is secular and shiite but as another poster said, "he has a lot of baggage". I believed you were being very optimistic about this fellow and only time will tell
if you are right. That's even if he gets in to the top job.
All the best, (and I'm not a troll, whatever that is.)

[Piranha]

Thank you, Dog Gone. I hadn't seen that article before. I have always thought that Chalabi's empowerment would be a good thing, and this article makes a pretty strong case that this indeed is the case.

[proud American in Canada]

"Let it never be said that we don't live in interesting times"

You can say that again. :)

Thanks for your informative posts on this thread.

[Matchett-PI]

Yes - I should have clarified that - sorry.

[Matchett-PI]

You're welcome!

[Matchett-PI]

"I'm very sorry for the choice of words, I meant it metaphorically. I'm very pessimistic about this fellow. I like it that he is secular and shiite but as another poster said, "he has a lot of baggage". I believed you were being very optimistic about this fellow and only time will tell if you are right. That's even if he gets in to the top job. All the best, (and I'm not a troll, whatever that is.)"

Apology accepted.

In #4, you wrote: "Is this not the fellow we accused of being an Iranian Spy? They found secret U.S. documents in his house in Baghdad. This doesn't sound good at all!"

If you had carefully read _ALL_ my posts in this thread, you would see that I have logical reasons for being optimistic about the man.

That word, "we", must be qualified. Chalabi was set up:

Bush Real Target of Chalabi Smear - Joel Mowbray - June 3, 2004

Spend some time here and ease your mind.

I have no qualms about saying that I think Chalabi is STILL in the good graces of his friend, Dick Cheney, too.

[Esteemed Scholar Jack Bauer]

I believe I have a majority of the [UIA] votes on my side right now"


So do i, dude.

[Fedora]

Semin-annual reports on registered foreign agents are listed here in a drop-down menu on the right side of the screen:

Foreign Agents Registration Unit (FARA) Counterespionage Section

You can list the results by country. In the most recent report given (2nd half of 2002) there is one entity registered as representing Lebanon:

FARA - LEBANON

Future Millennium Foundation, Inc., #5202

14 West Rosemont Avenue

Alexandria, VA 22301

Fouad Makhzoumi

The registrant provided advice to the foreign principal.

Finances: None Reported

A search on this entry and Lang verifies that yes, Lang is registered as their agent:

FARA - Future Millennium Foundation, Inc.

LEBANON: Fouad Makhzoumi

Short Form Listing of Registrant's Foreign Agents

Lang, W. Patrick

Nice catch, piasa :-)

[IonImplantGuru]

[bowing repeatly] "We are not worthy!"

You folks are amazing! I have received an education today through reading this thread.

My whole-hearted thanks for the illumination! (And my apologies to other key contributors that have slipped my mind right now.)

- IIG

[Fedora]

Thanks for the kind words. Anything I have to say on the subject builds on the work of a lot of other people who've contributed to the research effort on Chalabi and related topics.

[RobbyS]

I heard it was the CIA. They hated the guy.

[piasa]

Thanks for the links

[piasa]

Very nice- thanks for that confirmation. I kept reading "for an arab government" everywhere it seemed but the articles I came across never named the country!

[piasa]

Pat Lang, none too fond of Chalabi, is playing foreign agent for Fouad Makhzoumi...

I found this item on local Lebanese politics while bopping around the web. This is kind of interesting in light of the assassination of Hariri the other day:

The case of the Armenian Evangelical candidate, Dedeyan, was slightly different. Except for die-hard Ramkavars and Jerejian supporters (who had made an electoral pact with Hariri), most Armenians in Beirut's First Electoral District took it as a national obligation to vote for Dedeyan against non-Armenian Evangelical candidates. Dedeyan had joined ranks with Fouad Makhzoumi, another rich Sunni businessman opposing Hariri, and the Armenian Unity Front had called on voters to support the former. However, there were many instances when Armenian voters chose Dedeyan, but voted for pro-Hariri and other candidates for the other positions on the electoral ticket. -------Armenian News Network / Groong , Review & Outlook http://groong.usc.edu/ro/ro-20000907.html , as retrieved on Feb 12, 2005

[piasa]

That would be a rivalry in the 2000 parliamentary elections in Lebanon, by the way.

[cyncooper]

Fox is reporting Chalabi has conceded to Ibrahim Jaafari.