After much haggling, Iraq today announced a new list of cabinet ministers. I quote this from Al-Jazeera for a number of reasons. Even the Al-Jazeera reporting of this event is missing some things that Guppies have come to expect. The AlJazeera account:
-
States that the cabinet represents diverse factions and ethnicities, including women.
-
Makes no allegation that the US meddled in the appointment of the ministers.
-
The formation of an Iraqi government has been fairly quick given historic standards set by Germany and Japan.
-
No exception is noted. That is, this government is widely recognized as the legitimate govenment of Iraq by the nations of the world, and the UN.
-
The article goes to lengths to discuss the fact that this is an elected government, and makes no allegations of voting corruption or tainted elections.
In short, it is the best government that can be assembled under the circumstances. It is uniquely Iraqi, it was difficultly negocaited, and it is free from heavy handed outside influence.
So what now is preventing Muslim nations from calling for a cessation in violence? What is preventing them from sending help to the Iraqi people? What is preventing them from speaking out about the murders of Muslims, as stridently as they spoke out about sanctions? What is preventing them from helping Iraqis? We will see now whether it is more important to see the United States fail, or to see the Iraqis succeed…
After three months of political deadlock, Iraq’s first government after the toppling of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was formed on Thursday.
Ending power vacuum the country suffered since January elections, the 275-seat parliament approved on Thursday the cabinet list submitted yesterday by the Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
The Cabinet was approved by 180 lawmakers out of the 185 present in the 275-member parliament, Parliament speaker Hajim al-Hassani said.
The formation of the new Iraqi government coincides with 68th birthday of the country’s toppled leader Saddam Hussein.
In an attempt to accommodate almost all Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian groups amid growing tension, the cabinet, which consists of 31 ministers and four deputy prime ministers, includes members of Iraq’s main Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions.
But according to Iraqi officials, most of the posts went to the Shiites, who represent the majority of the country’s population.
Shiites make up 60 percent of Iraq’s 26 million people. The Kurds make up 20 percent, and the Sunni Arabs, represent only 15 to 20 percent of the country’s population.
Also the Kurds and Sunni Arabs were strongly represented. It is noteworthy that seven of the ministries went to women.
However, the new Iraqi PM failed to name permanent ministers to five ministries - oil, defense, electricity, industry and human rights.
Al Jaafari, a Shiite, will be acting defense minister, a position that was supposed to go to a Sunni Arab.
Ahmad Chalabi, a former Pentagon ally, will be one of four deputy prime ministers and acting oil minister.
Rowsch Nouri Shaways, a Kurdish official and former Vice President will be another deputy and acting electricity minister.
Al Jaafari’s initial choices of a Sunni deputy prime minister and defense minister were strongly rejected by the Shiite leaders, who fear they might have ties to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party.
Al Jaafari also has been struggling with his United Iraqi Alliance, the largest bloc in parliament, over the oil and electricity portfolios.
The newly appointed Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents signed off on the list before Thursday’s historic vote.
Outgoing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is expected to hand over power to the new Prime Minister Ibrahim Al Jaafari within days, Al Jaafari told reporters Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters, Al Jaafari said that “the Iraqis will find that this government has religious, ethnic, political and geographic variety, in addition to the participation of women”.
“Now that the process has started, we will spare no effort to bring back a smile to children’s faces.”
http://aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=8153