22 June 2003
Bremer Says Coalition Has Made Progress in Stabilizing Iraq
(Coalition working to stimulate economy, set up interim administration) (760) By Phillip Kurata Washington File Staff Correspondent Dead Sea, Jordan -- The U.S. civilian administrator for Iraq, Paul Bremer, says the coalition forces have made progress in bringing law and order to Iraq since May. "When I arrived five weeks ago, the fires were still burning in Baghdad. There was virtually no traffic on the roads except U.S. military traffic. Gunfire kept you awake at night. I slept with ear plugs when I could get some sleep. This has all changed," Bremer said, briefing reporters at the World Economic Forum meeting at a Jordanian resort on the shores of the Dead Sea June 21. Bremer said coalition troops are making about 1200 patrols in Baghdad every 24 hours, often accompanied by Iraqi police, who now number 8,000. He said the police academy has reopened, police stations are operational around the city and two courts are processing criminal cases. The administrator said that, despite the progress, the stabilization of Iraq is not complete. He said elements from the previous regime -- Baathists and Fedayeen Saddam -- as well as terrorists continue to attack coalition forces, particularly in the areas north and west of Baghdad. "In my view, these people are attacking coalition forces but they are really attacking the Iraqi people because they are trying to undermine our ability to provide any government's most essential duty, which is the security of its citizens," Bremer said. Baathist Party remnants maintain a rudimentary organizational structure, operating clandestinely in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's birthplace, and other cities, Bremer said. He said coalition forces struck a terrorist camp last week and captured fighters from other countries in the region, which he declined to name. Bremer said there are indications that Wahabi extremists are active in Iraq, and Iran is interfering in Iraqi affairs in the eastern and southern areas of the country, which have large numbers of Shiite Muslims. In addition to the efforts to reestablish law and order, Bremer said the coalition is working to revive the Iraqi economy and put in place an interim Iraqi administration. "We have pushed hard to get money into the hands of the Iraqi people through a variety of means -- paying the civil service salaries, paying pensions. We have announced a number of emergency projects funded by Iraqi money, particularly in the area of construction. I announced a $100 million construction fund last week," Bremer said. He said the United States is funding a $70 million community action program and a $20 million project to clean up the irrigation canals south of Baghdad. "This is at least the beginning of getting the economy moving," Bremer said. "We've seen the results, particularly on the streets of the cities. Now you have vibrant economic activity on a retail level in most cities and especially in Baghdad. We have largely overcome shortages in gasoline, cooking gas. We now have traffic jams in Baghdad which is a clear indication we have gotten over the hump in gasoline." Bremer said fuel shortages have been overcome by importing gasoline and by refining it domestically. "We know we have to move beyond that short term stimulus and get to real sustainable economic growth and we have a variety of steps we have to take there," Bremer said. "It's clear the overall thrust must be to shift resources and control out of the hands of the state and into the private sector." Regarding the establishment of an interim Iraqi administration, as called for under U.N. Security Council resolution 1483, Bremer said the coalition is proceeding to form two bodies -- a political council, which will have substantial, real authority, and a constitutional council, which will have the responsibility of drafting a new constitution. "It is clear we can not have a sovereign government in Iraq until we can have elections and we can not have elections on the basis of the 1970 Saddam constitution, and therefore, we have to have a new constitution. We hope to start both those processes in the next four to six weeks," Bremer said. The administrator said the coalition is engaged in intense consultations with a variety of political leaders, business people, local dignitaries, and professional associations. Bremer insisted that all segments of Iraqi society will participate in the interim administration and the constitutional council. He said he has made clear to the exile groups that the U.S. government dealt with before the war that they are not representative of all of Iraq. (The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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