American Administration Does Not Want to Overstay Iraq's Welcome

Iraqi people might not recognize the new government

Baghdad for the White House is like a snake's head, which America is supposed to cut off. The USA is craving for it so much, it is going to pronounce the victory even if Saddam Hussein is never found. There is such a plan, according to what the American press reports. The American administration has another problem to deal with: how to rule Iraq after the "victory" - who is going to clear the streets of Iraq, and who is going to administer ministerial departments. Americans planned both the war and the post-war situation in Iraq. However, it might turn out that peaceful plans will be implemented the same way as war plans.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice stated at the end of the last week that the USA would help the people of Iraq to build the new, free and peaceful country. As the adviser said, the new Iraq would not have weapons of mass destruction at its disposal, it would not help terrorists anymore, and it would also respect Iraqi people's rights. It is worth mentioning here that the coalition forces have not found any weapons of mass destruction yet, although it seems that it is only a question of time.

USA-based Iraqis will play a special role in the restoration of the country that was bombed by the anti-Iraqi coalition. However, it deems that they do not hurry to rejoice over the coming victory of the United States. Rahim Franke, the director of the democratic fund, told American reporters that Iraqi people are happy that they are going to be liberated, although they are not happy about being occupied.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz stated that USA-based Iraqis do not want to be considered a tool of the new colonial superpower. To all appearances, Donald Rumsfeld's deputy realizes the danger of the victory in Iraq, if he says that the United States does not want to be the new colonial superpower. Well, it will have to.

Retired U.S. Gen. Jay Garner will head a post-war Iraqi civil administration. He has already been to Um Qasr, looking for a place that would be his residence. This city will become the capital, where marionette-like ministers will hold their sessions presided over the retired foreign general. General Garner’s team will be called the department for the reconstruction and humanitarian help. Americans plan to divide Iraq into three parts – northern, central and southern. The general will have its envoy in each of those territories. American officials plan to vest the power to American Iraqis and local technocrats that have not been caught in the cooperation with Hussein’s regime. No one has an answer to the question of how much time this process might take.

The US Department of State and the Pentagon have different approaches pertaining to the new Iraqi leadership. Military men nominate Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress. This man is to play the key role, according to the Pentagon.

However, even those Iraqi people, who support the liberation from Saddam Hussein’s totalitarian regime, fear that Iraqi people might not accept the new government. Former Iraqi diplomat Mohammad al-Jabiri said that Pentagon-appointed people in the new government would be considered invaders' accomplices.

Paul Wolfowitz hopes that Iraqis will eventually recognized their "country-fellows" from the United States of America. According to Wolfowitz, there is every reason to believe that a huge part of the Iraqi population will welcome those people and their forces, if they do not overstay the welcome.

Sergey Borisov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov