Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=5/25/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-303631

TITLE=IRAQ/PROBLEMS (L-O)

BYLINE=GREG LAMOTTE

DATELINE=BAGHDAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The city council in Iraq's southern city of Basra has been sacked by British officials and a council election in northern Iraq has caused a dispute between Arabs and Kurds. V-O-A's Greg LaMotte in Baghdad reports on some of the problems the coalition faces in its efforts to move Iraq toward self-rule.

TEXT: British forces abruptly abolished the city council in Basra and replaced it with an interim committee headed by a British officer.

An army spokesman says the original council had some members who were supporters of the Saddam regime. He says the interim council will be non-political and will deal with issues ranging from water to electricity.

The decision angered some council members who said it was the council that had effectively restored many of the city's basic services following the war.

In the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, the first election of a local council was completed. after Saturday's election managed to fill only 24 of the 30 available seats.

Six positions were to be appointed by the U-S military. But when four of the six seats were given to Kurds, Arab delegates protested.

The commanding U-S general in northern Iraq (Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno) agreed to postpone the naming of the six contested representatives. But after reviewing the matter, the general appointed the six original candidates.

The elected council is made up of Arab, Turkmen, Kurdish, and Assyrian Christian members.

Tensions between Arabs and Kurds in northern Iraq have heightened in recent weeks with a shootout occurring last week that left at least three people dead and others injured.

Ethnic tensions have existed throughout Iraq for years and could well become the major problem in forming multi-ethnic local and national governments in Iraq.

/// REST OPT /// On Sunday, U-S civil administrator Paul Bremer traveled south from Baghdad to visit Basra and the port city of Umm Qasr where he was briefed by American officials overseeing the repair and operation of the port.

The head of the U-S Agency for International Development in Basra, Lewis Lucke, said the shipping facilities in Umm Qasr were not damaged by the war, but are suffering from years of neglect. He said the equipment had degraded, cranes were not working properly and other equipment was breaking down. (SIGNED)

NEB/GL/DW/RAE