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| Iraq |
| U.S.-sponsored Opposition Meeting Wants ‘Democratic’ Iraq |
| 2003-04-15 |
| Some Iraqi opposition representatives, meeting under U.S. auspices, agreed Tuesday, April 15, that a future Iraqi government must be democratic and based on the rule of law, and that no leader should be imposed from outside on Iraq. To me that sounds reasonable. But I'm not a Muslim... Concluding a meeting organized by the United States in Ur, just outside the southern Iraqi town of An-Nasiriyah, the opposition figures concluded in a joint statement that the ousted Baath party must be dissolved. The statement further stated that Iraqis and Anglo-American forces should cooperate in tackling the immediate issues of restoring security and basic services, while Iraqis must immediately organize themselves for the task of reconstruction at both the local and national levels. It called for a democratic federal system, but said a future government of Iraq should be chosen on the basis of countrywide consultation and not based on communal identity. Iraq must be built on respect for diversity including respect for the role of women, added the statement. Political violence must be rejected, it said, and there should be an open dialogue with all national political groups to bring them into the process. "What? You mean we can't kill each other? That'll never work..." Addressing the gathering, Meshaan el-Gabouri, a scholar from An-Najaf, called for the establishment of a secular government in Iraq that separates religion and politics, claiming this would better serve Islam. One of Iraq’s 's main Shiite groups, the Iranian-based Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), refused to attend the meeting in protest at the U.S. role. Hmmm... You get the impression they don't think they'd do well in general elections? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 SCIRI is one to watch out for - they don't play well with others, resent never get picked for student council, and hang together in a small group over on the Iranian side of the playground. Future Fatwa-issuers and guerrilla supporters with Iranian help |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-15 18:39:30 |