Iraq Governing Council to discuss Shia concerns ....trouble?

[cthrumatrix]

Iraq Governing Council to discuss Shia concerns
By Roula Khalaf and Nicholas Pelham in Baghdad
Published: November 28 2003 18:55 | Last Updated: November 28 2003 18:55


Iraq's Governing Council begins meeting on Saturday to consider changes to the programme to restore self-government in Baghdad, following objections from the country's top Shia cleric that parts of the programme are not democratic enough.


Followers of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, at the Sheikh Badr mosque in a Shia stronghold of Baghdad, on Friday underlined that he had given the US a grace period in which to make good its promises of democracy.

"The transitional assembly has to be elected by the people, not selected," said Majed Juma'a al-Zahed, a Shia former political prisoner.

"We don't support the US - but for now it is not our enemy," he added. "But if the time given by Sistani expires and they haven't done what he asked for, then things could change."

snip

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1069493581551&p=1012571727102

Imagine that...the Shia's want an "election"...not selected officials.If there are not "elections" sounds like trouble.

[remfan]

1. Already trouble

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2003_11_30.html#002249

Back on Wednesday the Post had a piece about how Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani was largely responsible for scuttling our original plan to appoint the drafters of the constitution, rather than have them elected.

Now he's come out against the new plan for electing these folks through a complex series of town caucuses and called instead for direct nationwide elections.

It's pretty hard to fault Sistani's positions on democratic procedural grounds. But the bigger point, again, is our impotence in the face of his expressed views.

He's calling the shots; we're not.

more...

This is such a clusterfuck.