<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4611.1300" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>The votes are in:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"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. <P>"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.</P> <P>"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.'</P> <P>"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.</P> <P>"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."<BR clear=all></P> <P><<A href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/03/1044122320739.html">http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/03/1044122320739.html</A>></P> <P>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:</P> <P>"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."</P> <P>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.  </P> <P>DP</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>