Ahmed Chalabi?

[Disturbed]

Ahmed Chalabi?

There was a huge thread about him on DU. For those who wonder what has happened with him here is a brief bit of news.

“Unfortunately, the search of Chalabi's offices in Baghdad only set this old fraud back for a few days. It did keep him out of the running for prime minister, but it didn't stop him from ensuring seats for himself and his cronies on the Supreme Commission for the Preparation of the National Conference, the group that's going to select the members of the Interim National Council. The Interim National Council will have several duties, including advising Prime Minister Allawi's interim government, approving the 2005 Iraqi national budget, and paving the way for elections in January 2005 (if they can stick to the timeline in the midst of a major guerrilla war).

Chalabi is not the only former exile to sit on the Supreme Commission. Nearly all the other members of the widely-reviled, exile-dominated former Governing Council managed to shoehorn themselves onto the commission, too. Apparently, this was with the express approval and adamant urging of Paul Bremer and other CPA officials. After all, it's better to have the devils you know in charge than the devils you don't know--and can't control. “

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0628-08.htm

*Full Sovereignty is such a freakin' sham!

[Gloria]

1. Much of this info was reported in the Daily Star, Lebanon last week

which I posted on Thursday night in the WMW.....I am consistently finding that stories are taking days and sometimes weeks to ever hit here...and mostly, this type of story doesn't ever hit the "mainstream news."


1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Friday, June 25, 2004
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=5600

IRAQI’S GOVERNING COUNCIL GRANTS ITSELF NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE
Most members gain seats of power in new government

By Annia Ciezadlo
Special to The Daily Star

BAGHDAD: When the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council dissolved itself on June 1 - a month ahead of schedule - it seemed like it was all over for a body that Iraqis widely viewed as too close to the United States.

The future seemed especially dim for Ahmed Chalabi, whose office was raided only days earlier by US and Iraqi security forces investigating charges of kidnapping, corruption and robbery.

But even as the council's members gave up their seats, they were writing themselves a leading role in the interim government that takes power next week. In a little-noticed edict, the defunct council guaranteed itself seats on Iraq's Interim National Council, a 100-member assembly that will have power to approve the 2005 budget, veto executive orders with a two-thirds majority, and appoint replacements to the presidency.

(SNIP)

"Essentially, the Iraqi Governing Council seems to have granted itself life after death," said Nathan Brown, a professor of political science at George Washington University in Washington. As political players jockey for positions in the government, the selection process is being dominated by members of the former Governing Council - much to the chagrin of Iraqis who had hoped for a more homegrown leadership to emerge.

(SNIP)


In July, a national conference of about 1,000 people will meet. Modeled on Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, the conference will include people from all walks of life - tribal chiefs, women's groups, youth organizations, writers, poets and artists - who will choose the Interim National Council. However, the conference is being planned by yet another body, the Supreme Commission. This commission, which will decide who attends the July conference, was supposed to include a broad range of people, including those chosen by UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to represent Iraqis outside the former Governing Council.

But the Supreme Commission has been dominated by former Governing Council members from the start: It was selected by a five-member committee, now disbanded, consisting of four former Governing Council members, including Chalabi, and chaired by the deputy of Jalal Talabani, another former council member.

(MORE)

[Disturbed]

2. Tenet-CIA

Tenet-CIA

It seems that Tenet is in a bit of trouble himself as it has been documented that he requested Rumsfailed to secretly send an Iraqi to a secret Afghanistan (US)prison. This is violation of the Geneva Convention Law. Maybe this is why Tenet has backed off of A. Chalabi?