Emergency Law for Iraq’s ‘Democracy’

[hightime]

CAIRO, 22 June 2004 — Iraq’s interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has appointed a ministerial panel to study whether Iraqis should be subjected to curfews and bans on public demonstrations after the June 30 handover. If Iraqis wake up to emergency law on July 1, instead of the promised and much vaunted “freedom and democracy”, the move will surely symbolize America’s failed policies in the region like no other.

Admittedly, Allawi has a lot on his plate. Disgruntled Kurdish commandos are said to be training with Israelis to counteract Iranian influence on the country via Shiite militias. Many Kurds feel that the US, reluctant to upset the influential Grand Ayotallah Ali Al-Sistani, has essentially sold them out when rubber-stamping the new constitution, which deprives them of various powers of veto. They further maintain they were initially promised the ministries of defense and foreign affairs, but were only afforded the latter — the defense portfolio going to Allawi’s cousin Ali Allawi.

At the same time, Iyad Allawi — an ex CIA man with close links to the US and a relative of the convicted embezzler and alleged Iranian-paid spook Ahmad Chalabi — has a credibility problem. Eager to prove himself no mere marionette, Allawi is re-assembling the Iraqi Army and encouraging firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr to engage in the political process instead of insurgency. Moreover, Allawi is welcoming former Baathists into the fold and attempting to wrest back Saddam’s main Baghdad palace from comfortably ensconced US head honchos who want it as an annex to the biggest and most fortified American Embassy in the world. So far so good!

But then he goes and spoils it all by stressing how much the country needs the occupying forces to stay on and asking the international community, including NATO, to contribute more. His reaction to the recent American bombing raid on Fallujah, resulting in the deaths of 22 members of one family, hasn’t helped his case either. While the city’s police chief bitterly condemned the attack, which the US says was launched to take out a terrorist safe-house, Allawi defended it during a press conference saying: “We welcome this hit on terrorists anywhere in Iraq”. The problem is there were only civilians, including three women and five children among the dead.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=47171&d=22&m=6&y=2004

[hermetic]

1. Malcolm Lagauche says

Just yesterday, Allawi stated that Iraq’s only goal would be to conquer terrorism. He even used the statement "war on terror." (sound familiar?) He called Iraqis who resist the U.S. occupation, "enemies of God and the people." He is speaking of 98% of the population. A recent poll showed that only 2% of the Iraqi population supports the U.S. presence in the country. About the unwanted U.S. presence, Allawi said, "We are deeply grateful for the sacrifices from friendly nations here to help us in our struggle." It is quite illogical to call what 98% of the people describe as the enemy, friends. And then to describe the same occupation forces that have killed more than 50,000 Iraqis as having sacrificed is ludicrous.

http://www.malcomlagauche.com/id1.html