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Iraqis Have Doubts Over Choice of Interim Premier
Fri May 28, 2004 01:13 PM ET By Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - News that Iyad Allawi had been chosen as interim prime minister on Friday did little to cheer many Iraqis who dismissed him as an outsider lacking the political experience to lead the country out of post-war chaos. "What is his political experience? I know nothing about him. He lived abroad as an exile. We need someone who lived here who can pull Iraq out of a crisis," said a hotel manager who declined to give his name. "Iraq is the same as it was in the time of Saddam Hussein except now I am afraid of militiamen so I canât say my name." Iraqâs U.S.-appointed Governing Council on Friday recommended Allawi, one of its members, as prime minister. But Iraqis in central Baghdad said they knew little about the man with long-time links to the CIA. Most members of the Governing Council live in an isolated compound for ministers and politicians or in an upscale area of the capital with manicured lawns, a far cry from the living standards of most Iraqis. Many Iraqis often complain they have never seen a member of the Governing Council walking the streets or shaking peopleâs hands. Security concerns mean there is little opportunity for such contact with ordinary Iraqis. Allawi, a wealthy secular Shiâite Muslim and former member of Saddam Husseinâs Baath Party, is a relative of Ahmad Chalabi, a former Pentagon favorite who has fallen out with Washington, but the two are not regarded as particularly close. Chalabi was himself long seen as Washingtonâs likely choice to lead post-Saddam Iraq. Allawi, a British-educated neurologist, went into exile after turning against Saddam and in 1990 formed the Iraqi National Accord, a party backed by the CIA and British intelligence and including many former Baathists who opposed the Baghdad government. But his years abroad defying Saddam do not seem to have won him many followers in U.S.-occupied Iraq. "I heard he used to play sports. I think he should really go back to playing sports," said Seif Gharib, a 20-year-old security guard at Iraqâs Ministry of Defense. "Who is Iyad Allawi? Hassan Ali, a policeman, was also dismissive. "I reject him," he said. "Where was he when we suffered under Saddam? Besides I do not recognize the Governing Council." Does anyone else get an image of Iraqâs interim government squabbling whilst Baghdad burns? Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-28 |
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