U.N. envoy reports findings on Iraqi political preferences and desires

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- Despite the "extremely worrying" security situation in Iraq, a "viable and credible" political process to form a caretaker government to govern the country on June 30 is possible, U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi told the Security Council April 27.
 
Mentioning the fighting in the city of Fallujah, uprisings in the south, and a general increase in violence in the country, Brahimi asked, "Is it possible for the process to proceed under such circumstances? Will it be viable? Will it be credible?"
 
"I put it to you and the council, Mr. President, that there is no alternative but to find a way of making the [political] process viable and credible," he said.
 
"There is much to do and time is short," Brahimi told the Security Council. "There will be potentially dangerous pitfalls and massive obstacles at every step of the way."
 
"But, the job is doable, as long as we set principled but realistic targets, moving toward them with deliberate steps, and if we are not alone as we take them," he said.
 
Outlining the political process by which a caretaker government will be formed and govern until elections are held in early 2005, Brahimi said that the process is no panacea for Iraq's problems but will be a powerful contributing factor to security in the country.
 
Brahimi and three U.N. political advisers visited Iraq April 4-15. They met with a wide range of Iraqis, representing all sectors of society, in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra, despite the dangerous security conditions in the country.
 
"In the end, the solution to Iraq's problems will have to come from the Iraqis themselves. The sooner a credible Iraqi government is in place to lead the way, the better, especially because the absence of such a sovereign government is part of the problem in the first place," he said.
 
"The majority of Iraqis with whom we spoke told us that, under the circumstances, they favored the establishment of a new caretaker government comprised of honest and technically qualified persons," Brahimi said.
 
He said there was "near unanimity" that the government be led by a prime minister and suggestions that a president should serve as head of state with two vice presidents.
 
It would be best, he added, if the interim president, vice presidents, and prime minister "were to choose not to stand for elections."
 
The United Nations can help the Iraqi people forge a consensus to identify a list of "extremely qualified candidates -- men and women, for every single position -- who are representative of Iraq's diversity," Brahimi said.
 
"Though it will certainly not be easy, we do believe that it shall be possible to identify by the end of May, a group of people respected and acceptable to Iraqis across the country to form this caretaker government," the U.N. special envoy said.
 
Then those individuals will have approximately one month to prepare to assume their responsibilities, which include reaching "crystal clear" understandings on the nature of the relationship between the caretaker government, the former Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), any foreign forces remaining in the country, and the United Nations, he said.
 
Another main point of agreement among Iraqis was to hold a national conference of between 1,000 to 1,500 people representing every province, political party, trade union, university, women's group and youth organization, as well as religious leaders, artists, writers and poets to help forge a national consensus and possibly take an important step toward national reconciliation, Brahimi said.
 
"For the last three decades, Iraqis were not communicating with one another inside their country," he said. "This conference would, to begin with, allow such a wide and representative sample of Iraqi society to talk to one another, to discuss their painful past as well as the future of their country."
 
He said, "no one, inside or outside Iraq, is thinking of bringing back the old regime or any of its leaders. Nor should anyone contemplate condoning, directly or indirectly, the gross abuses of the painful past or abandoning the principle of accountability for past crimes," Brahimi said. "National reconciliation is not a euphemism for impunity."
 
Brahimi also said that between now and June the CPA's actions can reduce existing tensions and help pave the way for the national conference.
 
For example, a recent CPA announcement that action will be taken to address legitimate grievances about the way the "de-Ba'athification" policy had been implemented could be an important step toward reconciliation and might even have a positive effect on the security situation.
 
Brahimi also appealed for restraint by all sides in Fallujah.
 
"The CPA is well aware that, unless this stand-off -- and now this fighting -- is brought to a resolution through peaceful means, there is risk of bloody confrontation," he said. "They in the CPA know as well as, indeed better than, everyone else that the consequences of such bloodshed could be dramatic and long-lasting."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)