IRAQ: A dispute between Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council and the most senior Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, seems to have been resolved.
Dr Adnan Pachachi, the acting president of the Council, told The Irish Times yesterday that the ayatollah - who issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, calling for elections to the proposed legislature - has indicated that if the "United Nations says that it is impossible to hold elections at present, he will accept that".
Dr Pachachi responded: "The secretary general [of the UN\] said it very clearly two days ago before the Security Council. We hope this will satisfy the ayatollah."
If Ayatollah Sistani, head of Iraq's 60 per cent majority Shia community, were to stick to his demand for elections, the Council's plan for the hand-over of sovereignty to Iraqis could be stalled indefinitely.
Dr Pachachi, a former foreign minister who commands the most popularity and respect among the 25 members of the Council, outlined the steps which must be taken to achieve the transition.
He said that the Council must first "enact a fundamental law for the transitional period".
Then in May, "we hope to have a conference to choose members of [the interim] legislature". This will involve the nomination of 250 representatives by committees in each governorate. Five members of these committees will be chosen by the Governing Council, five by the provincial council and five by local councils.
"By the end of June, we hope to have a transitional government in place which will take over all the responsibilities of the CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] and also will be recognised as the sovereign government of Iraq," Dr Pachachi said.
He insisted that this "is a serious cut-off date, and that all the CPA's functions will be taken over by the Iraqi government".
Thereafter, Iraq will be governed by Iraqis, with some help from foreign advisers not necessarily from the US.
"The US military presence will last as long as we want them," he said, adding that defence pacts could be agreed with the US, UN and other states. In spite of all the difficulties Iraq faces, he is "optimistic".
Yesterday morning, an Iraqi newspaper carried a telling photograph of ousted president Saddam Hussein speaking to Dr Ahmad Chalabi, the head of the US-backed Iraqi National Congress. Saddam requested the meeting with Dr Chalabi (who is seen as the most influential member of Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council) because of his close connections with key figures in the Pentagon.
The photograph reveals a great deal about the reversal of roles.Saddam, a leader accustomed to life in marble palaces, is now inhabiting a white-tiled bathroom. He was dressed in a dish-dasha (a long shirt) and jacket - the clothing of common folk - and sat on an army cot.
Dr Chalabi, in suit and tie, sat on a folding chair on a higher level than Saddam.
It is ironic that, although he may be the most powerful member of the Council and the man Saddam asked to meet, many Iraqis say Dr Chalabi is neither liked nor respected by a majority of his people.
Meanwhile, a US soldier was killed during a sweep for resistance fighters in the city of Samarra, north of the capital.