Iraqis hit plans for interim regime

As United Nations special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi begins the arduous task of constructing Iraq's transitional government, his plan is receiving criticism from all sides - not just from the US-appointed Governing Council, but from some of the same people who helped him design it.

The Governing Council's objections are no surprise: Political appointees viewed as illegitimate by most Iraqis, they stand to lose their jobs once his plan goes into effect.

But tribal and religious leaders have also raised objections. They want a broader, more representative body chosen by Iraqis from homegrown institutions - one that looks more like a sovereign government with lawmaking powers. That, they say, would set the right precedent for ultimate Iraqi self-rule. And given the country's history of coups and present chaotic conditions, the model would reassure Iraqis if the transitional government were to end up becoming a permanent one.

"We need a transitional authority with legitimacy and without interference," says Sheikh Adnan al-Janabi, a World Bank consultant and former OPEC official who has met with Mr. Brahimi several times. "If we could develop, with the UN, a transparent administration that has support among Iraqi people, they could be midwives for this administration."

On his last visit, Brahimi laid out a plan for a "caretaker" government that would assume power after the June 30 handover from the US-led occupation. It would cease to exist in January 2005, when Iraq is scheduled to hold national elections. Composed of technocrats - essentially administrators with limited executive powers - it would have a president and two vice presidents, reflecting ethnic and sectarian divisions in Iraq, balanced by a prime minister who would oversee a cabinet of ministers.

One thing it would not have, however, is lawmaking powers. "I am absolutely confident that most Iraqis want a simple solution for this interim period," Brahimi said in mid-April. "You don't need a legislative body for this short period."

Some leaders, though, want an interim legislature with power to check and balance the executive branch. "Under Brahimi's plan, if it's an executive system, who would control the interim government?" says Sheikh Fatih Kashif al-Ghitta, a top adviser to Salama al-Khafaji, the only Governing Council member not appointed by occupation authorities. "Who would say to the interim government, 'You're wrong'?"

All sides say they want a more representative body than the placeholder administration Brahimi envisions, meant simply to shepherd Iraq to elections. The Governing Council has hinted that it wants to see some role for its political parties, most of which represent religious and ethnic affiliations.

In a statement Saturday, the Governing Council suggested that Brahimi's plan does not have "wide popular support." A spokesman for longtime Pentagon favorite Ahmed Chalabi accused Brahimi, who helped design Afghanistan's transitional government, of being an "Arab nationalist" and his plan of being designed by "a foreign entity."

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