"The United States has chosen a successor to Saddam Hussein from Iraq's notoriously fractious opposition groups, according to a former Iraqi diplomat who lives in Sydney. "Mohamed al-Jabiri, who has just returned from in talks with Washington, said the White House has given its 'blessing' to the head of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmed Chalabi, to lead a transitional coalition government in Iraq once Saddam has been deposed.
"Dr al-Jabiri, who talked to Mr Chalabi over the phone last month, said: 'He told me that he would take over. He has the blessing of the White House and the State Department.'
"He said Mr Chalabi had been in talks with another major Iraqi opposition group, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq and the Iranian Government while in Tehran.
"Mr Chalabi moved to Sala-huddin in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq last week, ahead of an expected United States-led invasion. Opposition forces will hold a summit in northern Iraq on February 15."
<http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/03/1044122320739.html>
There's an interview with Chalabi in the Feb edition of GQ, and, apart from saying all the right things on the surface, some revealing thoughts slip out. When asked how a democratic Iraq would deal with the Israeli/Palestinian mess, Chalabi says:
"No one can commit the Iraqi government to anything until it is formed. Iraq should call for a complete settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian problem, with full rights and a two-state system as advocated by President Bush and as accepted by the Palestinians and Israelis. For us to pursue this, it is better to have a dialogue with the Israelis under normal conditions than to shout from the outside. I believe, therefore, that that dialogue implies relations between Iraq and Israel."
Yes, but what *kind* of relations? After he is installed in power, would Chalabi seriously question the current US/Israeli set-up? His mentioning the wise and all-seeing Bush ahead of the actors themselves provides a clue as to which way he's leaning. But then, he needs Bush to get into power, so he'd mention W. ahead of Einstein if asked about Iraq's view on relativity.
DP
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