Re: [casi] More about the "election" in Mosul

["k hanly" <khanly@DELETETHISmb.sympatico.ca>]

Sorry! Here is URL of the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/international/worldspecial/11VOTE.html?ex=
1053230400&en=e0d77268cc3789d6&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

----- Original Message -----
From: "Voices UK" <voices@viwuk.freeserve.co.uk>
To: "k hanly" <khanly@mb.sympatico.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 5:29 AM
Subject: Re: [casi] More about the "election" in Mosul


> Dear K,
>
> Interesting report. I assume it's from the New York Times (you forgot to
> indicate the source)?
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Gabriel
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "k hanly" <khanly@mb.sympatico.ca>
> To: <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 6:29 AM
> Subject: [casi] More about the "election" in Mosul
>
>
> >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> > ----
> >
> > May 11, 2003
> > In One Major City, Power Goes to an Iraqi With a Past
> > By SABRINA TAVERNISE
> >
> >
> > OSUL, Iraq, May 10 - Mishan al-Jaburi is a very busy man. His living
> room -
> > a lofty space where boys skitter with trays of tea - is full of sheiks,
> > tribal leaders and armed guards in fatigues. They come to him for
answers.
> >
> > "So many guests," he said on a recent afternoon. "I tell them we have a
> new
> > governor, but they are still all coming to me."
> >
> > Mr. Jaburi is a controversial figure. His critics accuse him of having
> been
> > a business partner of Saddam Hussein's son Uday, something he vigorously
> > denies.
> >
> > What is beyond dispute is that he was the main local power broker behind
> > Iraq's first postwar election, a vote among tribal leaders last Monday
to
> > choose a local government. In a week of meetings, Mr. Jaburi, a leader
> from
> > the Iraqi National Congress, and the American commander in the area
> brought
> > together 240 elders and tribal leaders.
> >
> > Today, American military and civilian affairs officers handed over the
> > government to the Iraqi Citizen Council chosen in the Monday election.
> > American Army officers say they want to hand over as many duties to the
> > Iraqis as soon as possible.
> >
> > "I am the leader of the city," said Mr. Jaburi in an interview in his
new
> > residence, a house of angular modern design that just a month ago
belonged
> > to the infamous Gen. Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali"
for
> > his role in gassing Iraqi Kurds in 1988. "All the power is in my hands.
I
> > told the Americans to hold elections."
> >
> > As American authorities in Iraq get down to the business of building
local
> > governments, they are faced with the task of finding leaders. Mr. Jaburi
> and
> > a small coterie of men have assumed that role in this city, Iraq's third
> > largest.
> >
> > The task is not easy. Mr. Hussein's authoritarian government discouraged
> > leadership and initiative. Even recent history in the provinces is one
of
> > control by complex tribal systems rather than formal laws. Elections
have
> > been few and far between. Those with recent experience in public
> > administration were members of Mr. Hussein's Baath Party.
> >
> > "Iraq was a big prison for 35 years," said Farhan Sharafani, a tribal
> leader
> > in the far north of Iraq in a village called Mrehban. "Anyone under 35
> knows
> > only that. In his mind, he's thinking of himself, not his country."
> >
> > Enter Mr. Jaburi.
> >
> > An energetic businessman, Mr. Jaburi, 44, lived outside Iraq for a
number
> of
> > years, an experience his critics say was necessitated by having stolen
> > hundreds of thousands of dollars from Uday Hussein in a cigarette
> business.
> >
> > Mr. Jaburi insists that he never worked with Uday, saying he met Mr.
> > Hussein's son only three times, the first in 1989 at Uday's behest. He
> said
> > he left Iraq because he had been privy to a plot to kill Saddam Hussein
> and
> > feared for his life.
> >
> > Mr. Jaburi speaks English fluently, and wears Western-style clothing. He
> > says he was never a member of the Baath Party or connected to the old
> > government.
> >
> > Even so, he had a very favored position in society. He was rich in the
> > 1980's, living in what he described as a mansion, gilded on the inside,
> > "that all the generals wished was theirs." He made millions of dollars
> from
> > what he described as an import-export business.
> >
> > He moved around, living in Turkey, Jordan and Syria. But he loved
> politics.
> > He saw his chance in Mosul, as the United States was in the final stages
> of
> > its war against Mr. Hussein. He became an ally of the renegade Kurdish
> > leader Massoud Barzani.
> >
> > There was friction with the American commander from the start. In an
> > interview last month, the commander, Col. Robert Waltemeyer, said Mr.
> Jaburi
> > hindered his troops as they entered Mosul. According to Colonel
> Waltemeyer,
> > Mr. Jaburi falsely told him that the Iraqi Army was waiting to
surrender.
> >
> > In fact, the Iraqi troops had long earlier fled the city. And as the
> > Americans waited for the surrender to happen, people began a looting
> spree.
> > Residents still blame American forces for not entering the city more
> quickly
> > and securing it.
> >
> > The American military also raised questions about Mr. Jaburi's role in a
> > shooting incident that left at least 10 dead. When a crowd of
> anti-American
> > protesters gathered soon after the city fell, Mr. Jaburi presented
himself
> > as the new governor of the city. The crowd pelted him with rocks and Mr.
> > Jaburi retreated into the building.
> >
> > Later, shots came from the enraged crowd. Marines fired back. Mosul
> > residents still refer to the incident as a massacre.
> >
> > But the next American commander to arrive in Mosul, Maj. Gen. David H.
> > Petraeus, chose to work with Mr. Jaburi. For Mr. Jaburi, the prize was
the
> > election of the local government. He quickly took a leading role.
General
> > Petraeus said Mr. Jaburi had been given power because he took the
> initiative
> > and his tribe was one of the biggest.
> >
> > "There are some views that he has had too high a profile," the general
> said.
> > "But you have to have people who are willing to invest lots of energy
and
> > time."
> >
> > In the end, a mayor was elected. The election was praised as advancing a
> > political process that seemed to be lagging in other parts of the
country.
> > The new city council also included representatives from most ethnic
> > minorities in the area.
> >
> > But Arab and Kurdish critics said the group that took part in the
election
> > was replete with Baath Party officials and complained that delegates
were
> > given a choice of just three candidates for mayor, all nominated by Mr.
> > Jaburi.
> >
> > "It's not democracy," said Ali Jajawee, a retired Iraqi Army general.
"He
> > was the man behind the screen, controlling the process."
> >
> > Though the first elections in Iraq's short history were in 1953, the
Iraqi
> > people - Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Kurds and Assyrian Christians - have
> > bounced between military junta, kings and dictators for most of the past
> > century.
> >
> > For that reason, says Mr. Sharafani, the tribal leader, it was too early
> to
> > hold elections. "You don't start to build your house in the winter - you
> > wait for spring," he said. "Now is winter. Opportunists are very, very
> > dangerous for Iraq."
> >
> > Mr. Sharafani is among those who sat out the election rather than fight
> what
> > they saw as a flawed process. Still, he is hopeful that better
elections -
> > once they are held - will bring about effective government.
> >
> > But the Americans have to stay. "Without the Americans," he said, "it
will
> > be worse than Saddam."
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
>
>
>



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