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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (8334)	2/14/2003 10:28:45 PM
From: PartyTime	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Stockman--do you have the link that shows Russia's refutation to Powell's so-called intelligence briefing to the UN?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (8334)	2/14/2003 10:34:26 PM
From: PartyTime	Respond to of 25898

Iraqi Dissident Rejects Transition Plan By TAREK AL-ISSAWI Associated Press Writer By TAREK AL-ISSAWI Associated Press Writer February 14, 2003, 8:25 PM EST ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- A leading Iraqi dissident said Friday that Iraqis should choose their own government if Saddam Hussein is ousted, not play only a advisory role to a U.S.-led administration. Adnan Pachachi, 79, who was foreign minister in the government toppled by Saddam's Baath Party in a 1968 coup, told The Associated Press that a regime change in Iraq was inevitable. But he said that the transitional period must be in the hands of Iraqis. "I want the Iraqi people to have a government of their own choosing under fair and free elections," Pachachi said, suggesting that initially the administration could be in cooperation with the United Nations, but not the United States. The United States accuses Saddam of hiding banned biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and has threatened war to disarm and topple him. In testimony before the U.S. Senate earlier this week, U.S. officials outlined plans for the American military to administer Iraq for an unspecified period after Saddam before handing over to an elected body that would include Iraqis now in the country as well as returned exiles. Pachachi said the special U.S. envoy to the Iraqi opposition, Zalmay Khalilzad, outlined the proposal to him on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates, where Pachachi lives in exile. "I think what is needed is an Iraqi civil administration in cooperation with the United Nations, for a limited period of time," he said. He also said the long-term presence of U.S. troops could backfire. "In the beginning the Iraqis might see the Americans as liberators. But if they overstay their welcome, it could be dangerous for them," he said. Ali al-Bayati, who represents the Shiite Muslim and Iranian-backed Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, said in London Thursday that U.S. plans for initial military rule were counterproductive. "It's important not to impose any kind of government during the transition period without consulting the Iraqi people," al-Bayati said. Prominent Iraqi exiles have proposed forming an interim government to be put in place before any elections. Exiles who have opposed Saddam for decades fear being sidelined by the United States, but their efforts to influence events have been weakened by internal ethnic, religious and political divisions. Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press newsday.com