With two weeks to go until full sovereignty, Iraqis already are running more than half the government's ministries, making key decisions, setting policy and managing their own budgets without direction from the U.S.-led coalition. As of this week, Iraqis are in full control of 15 of the 26 ministries - including the key departments of oil, foreign affairs, health, education, public works and municipalities, and transportation - even before the June 30 transfer of sovereignty, coalition officials say. Over the next two weeks, the remaining ministries will assume full powers in such critical fields as defense, communications, electricity and finance.
| Nice of the AP to notice. |
At the same time, Iraq's new leaders are beginning to assert their independence, taking public stands different from their American backers on issues including the fate of Saddam Hussein, security and control over key public property. The differences have not approached a serious breach and could simply reflect the fact that no Iraqi politician wants to be seen by his own people - or the wider Arab world - as a Washington puppet.
| Sure, no problem with that. |
American officials in Iraq have publicly downplayed any talk of differences with the new government, which the United States and the United Nations put together to take power until national elections planned by Jan. 31. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has arrived in Baghdad to discuss the fine points of the power transfer and details of the relationship between the United States and the new government after June 30. The U.S.-run Coalition Provisional Authority, which assumed supreme power in Iraq after the collapse of Saddam's regime, disappears with the sovereignty transfer and a U.S. Embassy will begin functioning. "These talks are just the beginning of a new relationship between the government of Iraq and the members of the coalition," a coalition statement said Wednesday after Wolfowitz's first day of talks with Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and others. "The constructive and positive atmosphere of the talks reflects the nature of this new relationship - a partnership based on common objectives and assessments."
Nevertheless, recent statements by Allawi, President Ghazi al-Yawer and others indicate that the new Iraqi leaders do not intend to be pushovers - even if they support many U.S. policy goals. There are differences over the issue of Saddam, who has been held in American custody since he was captured by U.S. soldiers in December near Tikrit. In a series of interviews, Allawi said the new government expected to take control of Saddam with the return of sovereignty. Salem Chalabi, who is in charge of setting up a special tribunal to try members of the ousted regime, went even further Tuesday, telling The Associated Press he expected criminal charges to be filed against the deposed leader by June 30. President Bush, however, said Tuesday the United States was working with the Iraqis on the terms of handing over Saddam and making sure there was "appropriate security." "I want to make sure that when sovereignty is transferred, Saddam Hussein stays in jail," Bush told reporters. U.S. Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy operations chief, said American and Iraqi authorities were discussing what to do about Saddam and other prisoners after the Iraqis assume sovereignty. "There have been some novel thoughts about how that can be done jointly, should it be done jointly, in what manner can it be done jointly," Kimmitt said. Kimmitt refused to elaborate. Joint custody could include both Americans and Iraqis running prisons together or the Americans holding Saddam and other top prisoners on behalf of the Iraqi administration.
| That works as long as we vet the Iraqi guards. And, sad to say, our own. |
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