UK: IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADERS SAFISFY A U.S. DESIRE FOR A SHOW OF UNITY WITH FORMATION OF A FIFTY MEMBER FOLLOW UP COMMITTEE BUT FAIL TO ELECT A LEADER
Record ID:
647381
UK: IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADERS SAFISFY A U.S. DESIRE FOR A SHOW OF UNITY WITH FORMATION OF A FIFTY MEMBER FOLLOW UP COMMITTEE BUT FAIL TO ELECT A LEADER
- Title: UK: IRAQI OPPOSITION LEADERS SAFISFY A U.S. DESIRE FOR A SHOW OF UNITY WITH FORMATION OF A FIFTY MEMBER FOLLOW UP COMMITTEE BUT FAIL TO ELECT A LEADER
- Date: 18th December 2002
- Summary: (W5) LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SCU IRAQI OPPOSITION MEMBERS AT BREAKFAST; MV DELEGATE READING NEWSPAPER; MV DELEGATES MEETING IN SMALL GROUPS (4 SHOTS) 0.34 (W6) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 2. SLV NEWS CONFERENCE; MV HOSHYAR ZEBARI (FOREGROUND), DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BUREAU, KURDISTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AND JALAL TALABANI (BACKGROUND) LEADER OF THE PATRIOTIC UNION OF KURDISTAN, SITTING (2 SHOTS) 0.44 3. (SOUNDBITE)(English) NABEEL MUSAWI, LEADER OF THE IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS, SAYING "Realistically speaking, we know that Saddam will not give up his weapons. We know that Saddam links his survival in power to the possession of his weapons, which means that at one point or another, the international community will take action and will feel probably obliged to go inside Iraq." 1.08 4. MV DELEGATES AND JOURNALISTS LISTENING 1.15 5. (SOUNBITE)(English) DR. HAMID AL-BAYATI, MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE AND REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL FOR ISLAMIC REVOLUTION IN IRAQ, SAYING "However, in our statement, we said that the change in Iraq should be carried out by the Iraqi people. It is the responsibility of the Iraqi people, and the Iraqi opposition. And we said that we don't accept any invasion of our country. That was stated in our statement, which you can have." 1.37 6. MV BANNER OF THE IRAQI OPPOSITION CONFERENCE 1.42 (W7) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) HOSHYAR ZEBARI, DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BUREAU, KURDISTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY (KDP), SAYING "We wanted this committee to be representative, of all segments, sections, of the Iraqi society. I mean no part would be excluded, or would be discriminated against. This is a very very difficult balance, but everybody agree that it should now be truly representative." 2.13 (W5) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 8. MV DELEGATE SMOKING CIGARETTE 2.20 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDEPENDENT DELEGATE ASMAIL SHAIKLI SAYING "Lady, we are fired up with big words, we need small words for our small country. I mean these people are giving us a lot of things, first of all, democracy but when you are empty pocket, you cannot give anything. And these people are real dictators (points with thumb), they are ruling their parties, opposition parties, since 30, 40 and 50 years ago. Just imagine, how can they be democratic people. I don't know and nobody has explained it for me." 2.56 (W6) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 16, 2002) (REUTERS) 10. SLV LONDON BUS PASSING IN FRONT OF PROTEST BY HIZB UT-TAHRIR, A POLITICAL PARTY WHOSE IDEOLOGY IS ISLAM; MV BANNER READING 'WAR ON IRAQ = CRUSADE ON ISLAM'; MV PROTESTERS FROM THE WORKER SOCIALIST PARTY OR IRAQ; SCU POLICE OFFICERS (4 SHOTS) 3.20 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 2nd January 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA7PRI18L4D609J23DKSN6MGHXP
- Story Text: Iraqi opposition leaders have satisfied a U.S. desire
for a show of unity with the formation of a 50-member
"follow-up committee", but failed to elect a leader.
Originally scheduled to last three days with a final
declaration on Monday morning, the meeting has now been
extended until Tuesday (December 17, 2002), as delegates were
trying to agree on the composition of the "follow-up committee".
Over the weekend, the exile groups' roughly 330 delegates
agreed a political blueprint for the country's future, calling
for a federal and tolerant Iraq in the event Saddam is ousted.
The final draft of the declaration, seen by Reuters but
not expected to be announced until Tuesday, said Iraq's new
government should be a federal democracy, Islam should remain
the state religion and said Iraq must be allowed to produce as
much oil as its capacity permits.
Tens of thousands of Kurds who have been driven from their
homes under Saddam would have the right to return to their
original cities and villages, and Kurds who have been subject
to attacks by the regime would be entitled to compensation.
The declaration also recognises that Shi'ite Muslims have
suffered official discrimination, excluding them from the
political and social system.
As London and Washington kept up the pressure on Baghdad
over its arms capabilities, it vows to oppose future foreign
guardianship and occupation of Iraq.
However, Nabeel Musawi, the leader of the Iraqi National
Congress said action by the international community is
unavoidable.
"Realistically speaking, we know that Saddam will not give
up his weapons. We know that Saddam links his survival in
power to the possession of his weapons, which means that at
one point or another, the international community will take
action and will feel probably obliged to go inside Iraq,"
Musawi said at a news conference.
"However ... change in Iraq should be carried out by the
Iraqi people. It is the responsibility of the Iraqi people,
and the Iraqi opposition. And we said that we don't accept any
invasion of our country. That was stated in our statement,"
clarified Dr. Hamid Al-Bayati, Member of the Central Committee
and representative of the Supreme Council for Islamic
Revolution in Iraq a few minutes later.
Delegates pointed out that a mechanism was needed to fill
the political vacuum once Saddam Hussein falls.
The "follow-up" committee is seen by delegates as a step
towards this goal.
The committee will be collectively run via a secretariat
of the six opposition groups recognised by the United States,
which is threatening to topple Saddam by force if necessary.
The six groups are: The Iraqi National Congress -- the
most pro-U.S. wing led by former banker Ahmad Chalabi, the
Tehran-based Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq,
the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan, some former members of Saddam's Ba'ath party, and a
Sunni Monarchist movement.
The post of general secretary will remain vacant for now,
preventing any one ethnic or religious faction from assuming
individual control, the sources told Reuters.
"We wanted this committee to be representative, of all
segments, sections, of the Iraqi society. I mean no part would
be excluded, or would be discriminated against. This is a very
very difficult balance, but everybody agree that it should now
be truly representative," Hoshyar Zebari, leader of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said.
But the committee was largely divided between ethnic and
religious quota, disappointing those who argued for
meritocracy and secularism as guiding principles.
Asmail Shaikli came to the conference as an independent
delegate and left Iraq seventeen years ago. He has been living
in the Netherlands for the past five years.
"These people are real dictators, they are ruling their
parties, opposition parties, since 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
Just imagine, how can they be democratic people ? I don't know
and nobody has explained for me", Shaikli said on the side of
the conference.
Some Iraqi opposition groups, which have boycotted the
meeting, have denounced it as a U.S. attempt to impose a
puppet regime in Baghdad and control the country's oil.
Outside the conference, about 50 demonstrators shouted
slogans denouncing the delegates in front of the hotel where
the conference was taking place.
The demonstrators were divided between supporters of the
Worker Communist Party of Iraq, who support a socialist
republic in Iraq, and those of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a political
party whose ideology is Islam.
Most of the Iraqi opposition have been in exile for
decades, while Saddam has ruled Iraq for almost 30 years.
There is significant resentment against the United States in
Iraq for the sanctions regime they have had to live under for
the last 12 years.
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