Members of the Iraq governing council

[IndianaGreen]

Here is the list of the unelected collaborators that Paul Bremer has named to the so-called Iraq governing council.

I will highlight a couple of names, including the one that is condescendingly identified as "a woman":

Members of the Iraq governing council
Sunday, July 13, 2003 Posted: 1507 GMT (11:07 PM HKT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Here is a list of the members of the Iraq governing council that held its inaugural meeting Sunday. The council has 13 Shiites, five Kurds, five Sunnis, one Christian and one Turkmen, including three women, in an attempt to reflect the country's diverse demographics. Shiites make up about 60 percent of Iraq's 24 million people, but they have never ruled the country.

• Ahmed Chalabi, founder of Iraqi National Congress, Shiite

<snip>

• Aquila al-Hashimi, a woman, foreign affairs expert, Shiite

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/07/13/iraq.council.members.ap/index.html

Does anyone here think that the Iraqi people is going to follow the dictates of this bunch of American puppets?

[IndianaGreen]

1. It's the OIL, stupid!

According to this excellent article that yours truly posted in Editorials yesterday, it describes the council to a Tee:

US convenes Iraqi council with aim of grabbing oil
By Bill Vann
12 July 2003

Among the principal concerns of US officials has been to parcel out the seats on the council to members of different ethnic groups and to include some relatively unknown women, apparently with the aim of lending the panel a superficial appearance of being representative. Excluded from the council, however, is anyone voicing opposition to the continued US occupation.

Given the recent deadly attacks by Iraqi resistance fighters on police recruits and others collaborating with the US occupation, however, it is doubtful that the council will have much contact with the Iraqi people. Instead, it will be on the receiving end of a series of US proposals worked out behind the scenes before the US invasion even began.

At a Tuesday press briefing in Baghdad, Bremer spelled out his determination to push through a wholesale privatization of Iraq’s oil industry and the rest of its large state-owned sector before Iraqis are given any opportunity to vote for a government or express their attitude toward such sweeping economic changes. He and other US officials have acknowledged that there is widespread popular sentiment against the denationalization of oil and its takeover by foreign-owned multinationals.

“Privatization is obviously something we have been giving a lot of thought to,” Bremer said. “When we sit down with the council ... it is going to be on the table.”

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/jul2003/iraq-j12.shtml

Discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=1010&mesg_id=1010&page=

[KellyW]

2. Iraqi Quisling Council

:0

[wtmusic]

3. Chalabi's still in the picture? What a frigging joke

A convicted scam artist and an admin puppet. Will totally backfire.

[Aidoneus]

4. interesting

wonder what kind of backroom deals they had to make to get the Communists, al-Dawa & SAIRI on board.

[IndianaGreen]

5. The Iraqi Communist Party was forced into exile by Saddam

they were members of the Iraqi National Congress, despite their natural dislike for Chalabi, and they did managed to maintain an underground infrastructure in Iraq. The Communist Party's newspaper was the first publication to hit the streets after the fall of Baghdad.

Paul Bremer won't be able to control the Communists, who see a political opening:

The Future regime in Iraq must be the direct rule of the masses
Rebwar Ahmad

In the aftermath of the bloody and devastating war it launched against Iraq under the excuse of ending the dictatorship and removing weapons of mass destruction that torn the Iraqi society apart, the USA has put this society before a dark and reactionary scenario. In accordance with a reactionary plan, the USA tries to impose a reactionary regime and uncertain future on the society. In this plan, there is no room for freedom and for people and their will. During one and a half month after the collapse of Saddam’s regime, the USA proved practically that all its previous propaganda was to mislead the Iraqi and international public opinion and it was mere deception. During this period, like the Baath regime’s time, the security and living conditions of the Iraqi people are deteriorating day by day.

All Arab and Kurdish ethnocentric forces within the Iraqi bourgeois opposition, the bribe-taking groups nurtured by the C.I.A and some Islamic groups as well have stood behind the USA dark and anti-human scenario in Iraq. Even, the Iraqi Communist Party, which stood in last several years with some hesitancy and modest critics beside these forces behind the USA planes and policies, has recently thrown away its modesty and announced openly its affiliation to that camp, although they have not promised it any position. It has joined the extremely reactionary council of the ethnocentric, Islamic and tribal forces.

Proved by their acts the members of this camp along their history not only have had nothing to do with the wishes and objectives of the masses but they have always caused hardships for these masses and stood against their freedom, rights and prosperity. Most of them had in certain times helped the Baath regime and played a role in consolidating its oppressive rule. In the last twelve years, in the pretext of struggling against the Baath regime and attempting to overthrow it and under the slogan of “ liberating the Iraqi people from dictatorship” these groups supported and defended the most savage and brutal USA policies against the people of Iraq. They had applauded to the Second Gulf War and destruction of the Iraqi society. They had supported the economic sanction, the policy which had broken the backs of the Iraqi masses and result in perishing of millions of them.

When the USA was planning for the Third Gulf War, while all freedom-loving people, and all left, worker and progressive forces basing on their understanding of the reactionary and anti-human objectives of the USA stood against the USA arrogant plan to attack Iraq, kill innocent people and totally destroy the society and despite their hatred to the Baath regime. The Iraqi opposition had shamelessly and against all human principles, effectively supported the Third Gulf War, which result in the death of thousands of Iraqi people and more destruction of the Iraqi society.

In the last 12 years, in order to get a share in power, these forces have shown readiness to turn their backs at the masses and their rights and participate in creating the worst human tragedies. They supported killing of the Iraqi children, the elderly and youth. They have been shamelessly ready, before the eyes of the whole world to become the mercenaries and servants of the USA, the most reactionary and criminal state in the world. The state, that its record is full of crimes against humanity. Its record is full of occupations, warmongering, and mass killing and is the only state that has ever used nuclear weapons. The defender of dictator regimes and reactionary forces worldwide.

http://www.wpiraq.org/english/rebwar170603.htm

English home page for Iraqi Communist Party:

http://www.wpiraq.org/english/

[Aidoneus]

7. I know a bit about these groups

There's 2 that I know of, the Iraqi Communist Party, website at www.iraqcp.org I believe, and the Worker-Communist Party Of Iraq, based on the ideological branch of the great Iranian Marxist Mansoor Hekmat from the link you give. The latter have more extensive content on their page (including a weekly or bi-weekly paper documenting their activities, right now mostly organizing workers unions, protecting women's rights, and such), though the former have been documenting human rights abuse for years and are a more trustworthy source for such information than the lying scumfucks in the Washington "think tanks" and government.

What is interesting is that both are completely opposed to the US aggression & occupation and the previous government and don't like Chalabi, very strange to see them involved here..

on edit: ah, it's not the WCPI that's involved here but the ICP's Hameed Majid Mousa. their version (not detailed)--
http://www.iraqcp.org/framse1/0030713icp.htm

[Cocoa]

6. about as legitimate as Bush

and Bremer has a veto over anything they do, if I remember correctly. Anything not favorable to Halliburton and others doesn't have a chance.