Friday, March 02, 2007
Chalabi back in the limelight
Politics
(AP) Dignitaries gathered last month for a gesture of reconciliation - reopening a Sunni mosque in Shiite Sadr City. As the cameras panned the robes and turbans, there stood Ahmad Chalabi, elegantly attired in an expensive Western suit. The ceremony was largely symbolic. Most of Sadr City's few Sunnis had fled Shiite militiamen. But the coverage gave Chalabi a chance to promote an image of a healer.
In his new post as head of a committee to build public support for the U.S.-Iraqi security operation, Chalabi reports directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. There's already talk of a Cabinet position later. That would put Chalabi, a Westernized secular Shiite who spent much of his life abroad, back in the halls of power and reinforce his image as Iraq's ultimate political survivor.
"There is a firm belief that he is capable of running a ministry, whether it is linked to services or security," a top adviser to al-Maliki said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss Cabinet plans. His Civil Support Committee, among other things, awards compensation for property damaged during security raids. His role also offers him a voice in security and an opportunity to meet with tribal leaders, including Sunnis, in an attempt to shore up his biggest weakness - a lack of public support.
In one recent report, his committee recommended better background checks on members of the security forces and banning certain Iraqi units from serving in specific neighborhoods. Another of Chalabi's reports bluntly says the government must remind Iraq's mostly Shiite soldiers and police that their job is to fight terrorism, "not to abuse citizens." He is also trying to steer his way through the minefield of Iraq's sectarian politics - a difficult task for a politician whose appeal in Washington and the West stemmed largely from a secular reputation.
"He has recognized the sectarian character of Iraqi politics," said Mustapha Alani, a Dubai-based Iraqi analyst. "So, he changed from being a secular politician to being a sectarian politician." Chalabi's image among Sunnis was poor because of his role as head of the committee that removed former Saddam loyalists from government jobs and politics. That effectively cost thousands of Sunnis their livelihood and fueled the insurgency.
Ali Faisal al-Lami, a close aide, said Chalabi has tightened regulations governing the dismissal of former members of Saddam's Baath party to make sure the purge was limited to top Baath figures. He has allowed about 12,500 former party members to return to their jobs, albeit acting on American pressure. The reinstatement of low-ranking Baathists has been a key U.S. demand to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq, but al-Maliki's government has yet to adopt a draft law offered by Chalabi to make it more difficult to fire Baathists.
In his new post as head of a committee to build public support for the U.S.-Iraqi security operation, Chalabi reports directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. There's already talk of a Cabinet position later. That would put Chalabi, a Westernized secular Shiite who spent much of his life abroad, back in the halls of power and reinforce his image as Iraq's ultimate political survivor.
"There is a firm belief that he is capable of running a ministry, whether it is linked to services or security," a top adviser to al-Maliki said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss Cabinet plans. His Civil Support Committee, among other things, awards compensation for property damaged during security raids. His role also offers him a voice in security and an opportunity to meet with tribal leaders, including Sunnis, in an attempt to shore up his biggest weakness - a lack of public support.
In one recent report, his committee recommended better background checks on members of the security forces and banning certain Iraqi units from serving in specific neighborhoods. Another of Chalabi's reports bluntly says the government must remind Iraq's mostly Shiite soldiers and police that their job is to fight terrorism, "not to abuse citizens." He is also trying to steer his way through the minefield of Iraq's sectarian politics - a difficult task for a politician whose appeal in Washington and the West stemmed largely from a secular reputation.
"He has recognized the sectarian character of Iraqi politics," said Mustapha Alani, a Dubai-based Iraqi analyst. "So, he changed from being a secular politician to being a sectarian politician." Chalabi's image among Sunnis was poor because of his role as head of the committee that removed former Saddam loyalists from government jobs and politics. That effectively cost thousands of Sunnis their livelihood and fueled the insurgency.
Ali Faisal al-Lami, a close aide, said Chalabi has tightened regulations governing the dismissal of former members of Saddam's Baath party to make sure the purge was limited to top Baath figures. He has allowed about 12,500 former party members to return to their jobs, albeit acting on American pressure. The reinstatement of low-ranking Baathists has been a key U.S. demand to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq, but al-Maliki's government has yet to adopt a draft law offered by Chalabi to make it more difficult to fire Baathists.
Labels: Ahmad Chalabi, Ali Faisal al-Lami, Civil Support Committee
