First Iraqi Governing Council Meets

21/07/2003| IslamWeb

Iraq's Governing Council held its inaugural session in a landmark step towards rebuilding the country and preparing the ground for elections as early as next year. Delegates representing the country's tapestry of Sunni, Shiite, Kurdish, Turkmen, and Christian communities met around an oval table in its new headquarters, the former ministry for military industry. The body includes 14 Shiites, roughly reflecting the estimated 15 million-strong Shiite population and sidelining the country's Sunni minority, with only four seats. A spokesman for the Pentagon-backed Iraqi National Congress hailed the meeting as "a great achievement for the Iraqi people". The council is charged with mapping Iraq's path towards elections and will have responsibility for appointing ministers and diplomats, approving a budget and selecting a committee to draw up a draft constitution. The credibility of the unelected governing council is considered crucial to coalition efforts to rebuild Iraq and get its oil-based export economy up and running to fund the massive costs of reconstruction. Responsibility for security in Iraq will stay in the coalition's hands and Bremer will wield a final veto over all decisions, according to a UN source, who asked not to be named. Bremer said that the US-led coalition would end its occupation as soon as it could, once a permanent Iraqi government has been established. "America has no designs on Iraq and its wealth. We will finish our job here and stay not one day longer than necessary." **Rumsfeld Warns of More Attacks in Iraq*** It's not going to be a peaceful summer in Iraq for U.S. forces, who may face increased attacks in the coming days. The stark warning came Sunday from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who also acknowledged the administration does not know how long the occupation will last or how much it ultimately will cost. "I'm afraid we're going to have to expect this to go on," Rumsfeld said on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said there is still a lot of debate about whether the resistance American forces are encountering is organized throughout the country. However, he said, "It's very clear that it's coordinated in regions and areas, cities in the north particularly." **PHOTO CAPTION*** Occupation soldier searches an Iraqi civilian during another military operation at Mashahdah, 45 kilometers north of Baghdad, Iraq Sunday July 13, 2003.