First Iraq conference says democracy is the priority

Baghdad - The dissolution of the Baath party and the formation of a democratic Iraq were among the explicit objectives agreed at a US-convened meeting of tribal, political and religious leaders in the southern town of Nasiriyah yesterday.

The potentially ground-breaking meeting at the Tallil air base, presided over by senior US officials, was the first of a series intended to lead to the establishment of an Interim Iraqi Authority. The 80 delegates agreed a 13-point plan aimed at establishing the principles of a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.

Despite a protest by some Shia Muslims whose leaders had boycotted the talks, the meeting of a diverse group of former opposition figures – both exiled and from inside the country – took place without marked argument.

A spokesman for the Iran-based Shia Muslim Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), which refused to attend, said: "We cannot be part of a process which is under an American general." But other Shia groups, and organisation representing Sunnis and Kurds, were present, and at least one participant predicted that SCIRI would be at the next meeting in 10 days' time.

The exclusion of the UN from the gathering has fuelled fears in Europe that it will have no role in the political reconstruction of Iraq. It has also roused concerns among some Iraqi opposition leaders that America is simply trying to lever the Iraqi National Congress and its leader, Ahmed Chalabi, into power.

But in his opening remarks to the meeting, President George Bush's special envoy to the region, Zalmay Khalilzad, said America had no intention of ruling Iraq. "We want you to establish your own democratic system based on Iraqi traditions and values ... I urge you to take this opportunity to co-operate with each other," he said.

American officials say they want Iraqis to form their own decision-making structure ahead of eventual elections, but they said yesterday the various leaders would first just get to know each other.

The 13-point plan, later posted on the US Central Command website, includes stipulations that the future government of Iraq "should not be based on communal identity" to avoid the country splitting on ethnic or religious lines, that the rule of law "must be paramount", and that the government should be based on a "democratic federal system" but agreed after national consultation. This is likely to allay Turkish fears that the Kurds could end up with a separate state in northern Iraq.

The agreement also insisted that Iraq must choose its own leaders and not have them imposed from outside. It condemned the looting and the "destruction of documents" during the recent disorder, calling on Iraqi leaders to work with the occupying Allies to restore order and stability. US officials said they "may" offer ideas of their own on how the interim authority should be organised.

Sheikh Ayad Jamal al-Din, a Shiareligious leader from Nasiriyah, called for the separation of mosque and state. Hoshar Zebari, a Kurdish Democratic representative from northern Iraq, asked: "What model will be used? Will it be the Afghan model, will the UN be involved, what will be the role of opposition?"

The conference was opened by the retired US Lieutenant-General Jay Garner, who heads the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. Western participation was limited to countries that had taken part in the invasion of Iraq.

THE 13-POINT PLAN FOR IRAQ

1. Iraq must be democratic

2. The future government of Iraq should not be based on communal identity

3. A future government should be organised as a democratic federal system, but on the basis of countrywide consultation

4. The rule of law must be paramount

5. Iraq must be built on respect for diversity including respect for the role of women

6. The meeting discussed the role of religion in state and society

7. The meeting discussed the principle that Iraqis must choose their leaders, not have them imposed from outside

8. Political violence must be rejected, and Iraqis must immediately organise themselves for the task of reconstruction at both the local and national levels

9. Iraqis and the Allies must work together to tackle the immediate issues of restoring security and basic services

10. The Baath party must be dissolved and its effects on society must be eliminated

11. There should be an open dialogue with all national political groups to bring them into the process

12. The meeting condemns the looting that has taken place and the destruction of documents

13. The Iraqi participation in the Nasiriyah meeting voted that there should be another meeting in 10 days in a location to be determined with additional Iraqi participants and to discuss procedures for developing an Iraqi interim authority. -- Associated Press

Brudirect.com