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| Iraq | ||
| Some 10,000 Iraqi workers in SaddamÂ’s regime re-employed | ||
| 2006-08-08 | ||
| BAGHDAD, Iraq - About 10,000 workers in Saddam Hussein’s former regime have been re-employed as part of national reconciliation, reversing their purge after the March 2003 US-led invasion, an official said. More than 8,000 of the reinstated employees worked for the key interior and defense ministries, Rashid Najeb Saleh, the chief of the Agency for Dissolved Entities, told a news conference on Sunday. “All Iraqis are under the umbrella of Iraq and now we are seeking the national reconciliation through this directorate,” he said.
The program involved purging the government of senior officials who were members from Saddam’s Baath Party. But in the absence of proper records it is likely that tens of thousands of lower level officials were also sacked. Most government officials in Saddam’s time were Sunnis, who had traditionally suppressed the majority Shiites. The de-Baathification purge fueled dissatisfaction among the Sunnis against the US-backed Shiite-dominated government, and contributed to the sectarian strife sweeping the country. The strife has taken the form of tit-for-tat killings by Shiite and Sunni extremist groups. Saleh said the decision to reinstate former employees “is very important to resuscitate a wide segment of our Iraqi society.” He said nearly 700,000 Iraqi citizens including up to 400,000 members of Saddam’s armed forces have been “deprived of their rights.” During Saddam’s time about 2.5 million people were members of the Baath Party. Many would have joined it to secure well-paid government jobs and perks rather than to show support for Saddam or Baathism.
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| Posted by:Steve White |