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| Iraq | ||
| UN expected to intervene in Iraqi poll row | ||
| 2004-01-20 | ||
| EFL: The United Nations is likely to send a mission to Iraq to help resolve demands by Shiites for immediate direct elections in response to a request by Iraqi leaders and the United States. Before you go off the handle, remember, "immediate" and "UN" are mutually exclusive terms. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday further discussions were necessary before he could make a decision to dispatch the team. UN officials said a four-member security unit, about to go to Iraq, would have to report back first. Sticking their heads up, seeing if anybody takes another wack at them. But diplomats expected a positive response, saying the decision had been made in principle after Annan met for several hours with members of the Iraqi Governing Council, the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, and his British counterpart, Sir Jeremy Greenstock. Kofi really wants back in the game. At issue is a demand from Iraq’s most revered Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, for direct elections immediately for a provisional government. Because his people would vote as a bloc, he thinks Shiite candidates would win. He’s most likely right. The US-led occupation, known as the Coalition Provisional Authority, has called for a new national assembly to be established through a complicated caucus procedure before a temporary government can take office on June 30. Think Iowa, with explosives. After that Iraqis are to write a constitution and plan elections for a permanent government by the end of 2005. "I have indicated that I don’t believe there may be enough time between now and May to hold elections," Annan told a news conference after several hours of meetings with Iraqi leaders and the US-led occupation authorities. "But the team will go down and look into that further and then report to me," Annan said. Being the UN, that could take some time. And time is on our side.
Unless his side loses, at which point the seething will begin again. But, it will be against a UN decision instead of the US. That’s important internationally and politically.
I don’t think even Kofi believes that. Kofi will appoint a team, they’ll talk to everyone, consult the neighboring states, consult the EU, etc, etc. Then write a report, May will be long gone by that time. | ||
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 Partition. Sistani wants mob rule (democracy vs. republic) because he rules the mob. Partition. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-1-20 9:30:19 PM |
| #5 Iraq is coming out of fourty years of Kleptocracy. Theocracy is not going to be step up. One way to get them to drop this whole idea for now is to take their Mullahs to California and show them just what "direct democracy" can do to a thriving ecenomy, much less one in the tiolet. At this point the best anybody could hope for is some sort of representational republic. Which would be a lot more than how many UN member states? |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-1-20 6:00:39 PM |
| #4 I am torn on this one. Our Constitution could not have been written in any fashion other than by caucus because of the central big state/versus little state controversy. Unfortunately, I am not sure that Arabs are capable of engaging in compromise. Tarek Heggy has this insight. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-1-20 6:00:08 PM |
| #3 You know what? If these Shiite dumbasses think they can handle the big task of governing, I say let them. Keep ample forces stationed in Kurdistan and Kuwait so that when the eventual tribal feuding begins, the violence is kept contained within their territory. In the meantime, we take care of the rest of Iraq and set it up properly. Oh, and one more thing - if Iran's mullahs don't keep their hands off, there will be a very expensive price to pay. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-20 4:59:44 PM |
| #2 The key statement is "...if the UN sent a mission, its findings would be accepted by Sistani". This is about saving Arab 'face'. Mr Sistani is in a win-win position here. |
| Posted by: ltcedk 2004-1-20 3:22:32 PM |
| #1 Hey - I hear Al Gore has some experience with elections - send him! Honestly we need time to teach the Iraqis what an election is about and how it works in specifics. How a cacus(sp?) works and why it is better then a simple election poll. Remember that most of these people dont have a clue what it means to participate in the decision making process and that they have a right and obligation to think for themselves (something americans need to be reminded of sometimes...). Then we need to develop a election process in which the ballot is truly 'secret' and educate the people about how secret it is -- that even thou such-and-such a party may imtimidate and threaten eveyone who does not vote their way they can't actually do anything since the ballot is secret. Also teach them to lie to exit polls. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-1-20 3:17:33 PM |