Iraqi democracy reaches full bloom

Posted by Phil Peterson on Thursday, 28 April 2005 15:07.

Chalabi to head Oil Ministry in Iraq’s new government.

By Jenny Booth, Times Online

Iraq formed its first democratically elected Government in 50 years today after the country’s Parliament approved a 36-strong Cabinet of ministers.

The National Assembly voted by an overwhelming majority - 180 of the 185 present - to approve the list of names put forward by Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Prime Minister designate, who comes from a religious Shia party. A few cheers broke out when the speaker of Parliament announced the result.

The Cabinet will consist of 31 ministers, four deputy Prime Ministers and the Prime Minister himself. Several of the appointments are however provisional, suggesting that the bitter disagreements which created a 12-week power struggle to divide the most influential posts between Iraq’s different cultural and political groupings are not yet resolved.

Mr al-Jaafari himself will act as Defence Minister - a position that was supposed to go to a Sunni.

In a twist that is likely to raise a few eyebrows in Washington, Iraq’s great political survivor Ahmad Chalabi - first the darling and then the scapegoat of the Bush Administration - will take the hotly-contested post of Oil Minister on an interim basis. Mr Chalabi, who is a Shia Muslim, is also one of the four deputy Prime Ministers.

The electricity, human rights and industry ministers are also temporary appointments. Rousch Nouri Shaways, a Kurdish leader, will combine the job of acting electricity minister with being a deputy Prime Minister.

Both the oil and electricity ministries were the subject of lengthy infighting within Mr al-Jaafari’s own party, the United Iraqi Alliance.

The key roles at the head of the interior ministry and the finance ministry will be taken by Shias, with Bayan Jabbor at the interior and Ali Abdul Amir Allawi at finance.

Officials said that the full Cabinet consisted of 17 Shias, eight Kurds, six Sunnis and one Christian. Six of them are said to be women, in charge of seven portfolios. Shias represent 60 per cent of the population, Kurds 20 per cent and Sunnis between 15 and 20 per cent.

Mr al-Jaafari said from the steps of his office: “The Iraqis will find that their Government has religious, ethnic, political and geographic variety, in addition to the participation of women. Now that the process has started, we will spare no effort to bring back a smile to children’s faces.”

Iyad Allawi, the outgoing interim Prime Minister, is due to conduct a handover to Mr al-Jaafari within days. 

Mr Allawi’s secular Iraqi List party, which holds 40 Assembly seats, has been left out of the Government altogether - a sign that Mr al-Jaafari has given up the unequal struggle to balance Mr Allawi’s demands with those of Sunni leaders who say they could open negotiations with the militants.

Much of the optimism created by the success of multi-party elections in Iraq on January 30 has dissipated in the three months of backroom horse-trading between religious and secular parties representing the different ethnic groups.

The insurgency, which died down during and after the ballot, has since gained new strength and viciousness. A woman MP was shot in the head nine times yesterday as she answered the door at her brother’s home.

Lameah Abed Khadouri al-Sakri was the first of the 275-strong National Assembly to be murdered by the rebels, many of whom are Sunni extremists.

Mr al-Jaafari has been coming under ever-increasing pressure from Washington to form a transitional Government, so that co-ordinated action can be planned to suppress the insurgents.

COMMENT: Here is a backgrounder on Ahmed Chalabi, the great beacon of hope for “Democracy” in the Middle East.

UPDATE: Chalabi has also been appointed Deputy Prime Minister. “Democracy” just keeps getting better!

Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami, left, greets Ahmad Chalabi in Tehran in December 2003.



Chalabi in august company.



 




Comments:


1

Posted by Gotham Image on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 02:55 | #

Why do I think he looks shifty>?


2

Posted by Steve Edwards on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 03:11 | #

That picture of Chalabi, combined with the knowledge that he is now effectively a trillionaire, has convinced me it was all worthwhile!


3

Posted by Effra on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 05:58 | #

Mr Chalabi will presumably not be undertaking any goodwill visits to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where a little unfinished legal business awaits his attention…


4

Posted by stari_momak on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:34 | #

All a giggle, ‘til you start thinking about the American kids that have had their lives effectively ruined by this little endeavor—the white trash, the barrio vatos, the decent black kids (and most in the military are).

How many legless, armless, blind and insane did it cost to put this bastard in charge of Iraq’s oil? How many dead will it cost to keep him there.  I am not a violent man, but that picture makes really gives to break into the AEI hand whack some of those REMF’s that sponsored this guy.

I guess the bright side is that some American mercenaries from Blackwater will get some ‘trickledown’ cash for guarding Iraqi pipelines.


5

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:40 | #


The courageous die or get maimed for life. The tricksters who promoted Chalabi go on to Preside at the World Bank despite all the disasters their decisions have caused.


6

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:50 | #


7

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:51 | #


8

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:52 | #


9

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:52 | #


10

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:53 | #


11

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:53 | #


12

Posted by Geoff Beck on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 17:04 | #

Phil, I’m outraged by these photos. The Wolfowitz pic is especially outrageous.


13

Posted by Phil Peterson on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 17:21 | #

Geoff,

It is meant to cause outrage.

If only more Americans could see the “big picture”.


14

Posted by Geoff Beck on Fri, 29 Apr 2005 18:51 | #

Yes, exactly.


15

Posted by Steve Edwards on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 07:44 | #

Have any of you guys read “A Clean Break”, a strategy document written by Richard Perle and Douglas Feith for Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996?

What’s astonishing, aside from the obvious point that they explicitly stated that taking out Iraq would be in the security interests of Israel, is that nobody significant has queried them for their patriotism.

I mean, who are these guys really batting for, and why does nobody object to people like Perle openly serving a foreign power?


16

Posted by Phil Peterson on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 08:05 | #

What’s astonishing, aside from the obvious point that they explicitly stated that taking out Iraq would be in the security interests of Israel, is that nobody significant has queried them for their patriotism.

True.

Actually Patrick Buchanan did. But no one else apart from him.

It would be too much to expect the US media to question such things given where interests lie.


17

Posted by Phil Peterson on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 08:12 | #

From Buchanan’s article:

Though we have given Israel $20,000 for every Jewish citizen, Israel refuses to stop building the settlements that are the cause of the Palestinian intifada. Likud has dragged our good name through the mud and blood of Ramallah, ignored Bush’s requests to restrain itself, and sold U.S. weapons technology to China, including the Patriot, the Phoenix air-to-air missile, and the Lavi fighter, which is based on F-16 technology. Only direct U.S. intervention blocked Israel’s sale of our AWACS system.

Given that China is the greatest long-term threat to the US militarily, the lack of media coverage concerning this leak of sensitive technology is nothing short of breathtaking.


18

Posted by Guessedworker on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 08:58 | #

No it isn’t.  It is entirely predictable.


19

Posted by Phil Peterson on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 09:00 | #

Yes, if given the knowledge of how the US media operates.


20

Posted by Andrew L on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 15:11 | #

Yep , friends like these, but also remember , Who gave Russia the Jet engine not just the blue print, but the whole engine, Stalin had no Idea,nor his scientists, so they were shot, but a great allie, G B, and roles Royce engines, so the Mig was borne, not to mention Nuclear weapon technology, can not beat communist sympothizers, treturous bunch are they not? Oh yeh, Those intellectuals.
China and Europe are politicaly aligned, same polot structure, Bloody Chinese Jews, What?


21

Posted by Andrew L on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 15:29 | #

This is old news, well before the Iraq war, and just after 9/11, so, not hidden, just a long time to cotton on. I new that, in Australia, Political propaganda as it suits the dummies, China is a nation of Jews, Communist, so America may well have sold them weapondry, makes sence, using the Jew word, (communism), or is that Nationalism, even Islamo jews, hell i’m confused. grin


22

Posted by ben tillman on Sun, 01 May 2005 14:45 | #

What’s astonishing, aside from the obvious point that they explicitly stated that taking out Iraq would be in the security interests of Israel, is that nobody significant has queried them for their patriotism.

Tom Clancy broached the issus on a program on MSNBC, but that’s about it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5137382/

NORVILLE: And Paul Wolfowitz.

CLANCY: Is he really on our side?

NORVILLE: You genuinely ask that question? Is he on our side?

CLANCY: I sat in on—I was in the Pentagon in ‘01 for a red team operation and he came in and briefed us. And after the brief, I just thought, is he really on our side? Sorry.


23

Posted by a reader on Sun, 01 May 2005 16:21 | #

I find the misuse of the patritism by israel first zionists repulsive beyond words.  I shudder to think of the reprecussions, should the anglo-scottish core that makes up this country catches wind of it….the wrath of the awakened saxon comes to mind.
Have met a few New York (you know who) neocons, I can say with confidence that they have nothing but seething contempt for our people our cutlure and snicker at our hand wringing guilt and naive trust.
They play us like a fiddle, sad to say.



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