UN envoy sidelined in US-backed coup

IRAQ: Mr Brahimi's nominees to a caretaker government have been rejected, writes Michael Jansen

The decision of Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council to designate the members of the caretaker government tasked with preparing for elections amounts to a coup against the UN.

The UN envoy, Mr Lakhdar Brahimi, was asked to select members of the government set to succeed the US occupation administration on June 30th, in consultation with the US and the council. The final choice of office holders was meant to be made by Mr Brahimi, who favours a government of technocrats rather than politicians from Iraq's main religious and ethnic communities.

Last week the 23 members of the council rejected his nominee for executive prime minister, Mr Hussein Shahristani, a nuclear scientist, as well as his choices for the posts of president and vice- president. On Friday the council named to the premiership Mr Iyad Alawi, a secular Shia who leads the US-financed opposition faction, the Iraqi National Accord. Mr Brahimi was, apparently, surprised and displeased. The US, which initially claimed no foreknowledge of the council's firm stand, was found to be behind the coup.

Mr Alawi, who is close to both the US Central Intelligence Agency and Britain's MI6, is considered an acceptable alternative to Washington's former favourite for the top job, Mr Ahmad Chalabi. His conviction for embezzlement from a Jordanian bank, his false claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, his involvement in corruption during the occupation, and his alleged ties to Tehran made Mr Chalabi unacceptable to Iraqis. Mr Alawi is seen as being "Chalabi lite" - Mr Chalabi without negative baggage.

Yesterday, the council wrangled with Mr Brahimi over the presidency and other cabinet positions. Last week Mr Brahimi selected Dr Adnan Pachachi, a former foreign minister and elder statesman, for the presidency but the majority of council members are now pressing for acceptance of Mr Ghazi Yawar, an engineer with a tribal background, who is serving as the current council chairman. Most of the other potential ministerial appointees reportedly come from the council or are connected to parties represented on it, perpetuating a body meant to dissolve itself when the handover to the transitional government takes place.

The deeply unpopular council, accused of indecisiveness since taking office last July, became decisive only over the political future of its members.

Having developed a taste for position with little power, most members, a majority of whom are returned exiles with no local constituencies, are determined to play a leading role in the transitional phase. They aim to have their say in the election process and secure seats in parliament and posts in a future cabinet. This means that Iraq could be ruled on a permanent basis by fractious factions representing communal interests, rather than by capable politicians with a national agenda.

The US-backed coup could not have come at a worse time for the Bush administration. The move could prompt France, Russia and China, three permanent members of the UN Security Council, to toughen their criticisms of the Anglo-US draft resolution defining the role of foreign officials and forces in post-June Iraq.

By sidelining Mr Brahimi, the Bush administration has revealed that it does not intend to grant a major role in Iraq to the UN. Instead Washington remains determined to hang on to power in Iraq and effect only a nominal handover to Iraqis.

Consequently, the transitional government is unlikely to have any more credibility than the council, regarded as a US puppet by many Iraqis. The government elected at the end of January 2005 could be tainted as well.