Test of a nation (collaborators pretend democracy)

[Barrett808]

Test of a nation
BY MOHAMAD BAZZI
MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT
Sunday, July 18, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- It is supposed to be the first democratic exercise on a national scale in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

But even before it is convened, the Iraqi National Conference has been beset by criticism that it will be dominated by a handful of exile political parties and former U.S. appointees. The gathering of 1,000 Iraqi leaders is expected to take place by the end of the month, and it will mark the first major test of political power-sharing among Iraq's diverse groups.

Modeled on Afghanistan's loya jirga, the conference is to include parts of Iraqi society -- tribal sheiks, trade unions, religious leaders, women's groups, artists and others -- not represented by the political parties that dominate the interim government led by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The conference will choose from within its ranks a 100-member National Council, which will act as a de-facto parliament until elections in January. The council will have the power to veto laws and approve Iraq's budget.

Already, the allotment of seats in the National Conference has widened a rift between the former Iraqi exiles and those who lived under Hussein's regime. The indigenous leaders argue that six political parties largely made up of exiles will have disproportionate influence over the conference. These groups have been allied with the United States during its 15-month occupation of Iraq, and they dominated the U.S.-appointed Governing Council.

...

The six political parties are: the Iraqi National Accord, led by Allawi; the Iraqi National Congress, led by Ahmad Chalabi; the Dawa Party, a Shia group led by Ibrahim Jaffari, one of Iraq's two vice presidents; the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, led by Abdulaziz al-Hakim; the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, led by Jalal Talabani; and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Massoud Barzani.

(more)

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-iraq0718,0,177241.story?coll=ny-world-big-pix