14 July 2003
New Governing Council a Huge Step Forward, Bremer Tells Iraqis
Speaks about council's duties and other internal developments on Iraqi TV
Ambassador Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, said the formal inauguration of Iraq's Governing Council on July 13 will be a "momentous step" for the Iraqi people. Bremer discussed the council's formation and duties during his weekly television address to the Iraqi people July 12.
He noted that the interim Governing Council would reflect the demographic diversity of Iraq's 24 million citizens for the first time in the country's history.
"Whether you are Shi'a or Sunni, Arab or Kurd, Baghdadi or Basrawi, man or woman, you will see yourself represented in this council," he told Iraqis.
"But, more importantly," Bremer continued, "the Council as a whole will represent all Iraqis. I look forward to the Council taking decisions on the basis of what is right for all Iraqis."
He outlined the substantive duties of the Governing Council, such as appointing Iraqis to head the ministries of state, determining how future revenues will be spent to meet the national priorities, and representing Iraq internationally.
"One of the Governing Council's first jobs will be to help launch the constitutional process: the process by which you, the Iraqi people, write your new constitution. It will be a constitution to cement your freedoms, and to enable these democratic elections to take place," Bremer said.
"Last week was a good week," Bremer noted at the beginning of his television appearance, enumerating other positive trends in Iraq.
These included the arrest of two more of Saddam Hussein's inner circle, bringing the total number of arrested top officials to 34, or about two-thirds of the officials sought by the Coalition. "We will find the rest in the weeks ahead," he told Iraqis. Bremer also spoke of the Coalition's planned spending increases in the vital areas of health and public services.
Following is the text of Ambassador Bremer's July 12 weekly address to the Iraqi people:
(begin text)
Coalition Provisional Authority
Text of Ambassador Bremer's Weekly TV Address
July 12, 2003
Masaa al Khair [Good Evening]. I am Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Last week was a good week for Iraq.
The Baghdad City Advisory Council held its first meeting, and I was honored to attend. Across the country, new Councils have been formed to represent the views of citizens in the management of their towns and cities. Democracy is on the move in Iraq. We finalized the state budget for 2003, a budget of over 9 trillion dinars, which includes huge increases in spending across the board, especially on public services. For example, the Ministry of Health will spend in the second half of this year 35 times more on health than it did in the second half of last year under Saddam Hussein. We announced new banknotes for Iraq, to deal with all the problems of the existing notes: poor quality or old banknotes, not enough denominations, and two separate currencies in one recently-unified country. These new notes, which will be ready on October 15, will make you rightly proud of your currency again. I visited Najaf and announced a number of new development initiatives for that region. Across the whole of Iraq, there is an enormous amount of development and reconstruction work underway, to repair some of the damage done by Saddam's regime, and to invest in your future. To date, the coalition has carried out almost 2000 reconstruction projects across the country, to help make life better for all Iraqis. We arrested more remnants of the last regime, include 2 of Saddam Hussein's inner circle: Mizbar Kkudr al-Hadi and Mahmud Dhiyab al-Ahmad. Both were members of the inner circle of bad men responsible for repressing you, the Iraqi people. We now have in custody 34, about two-thirds, of Saddam Hussein's top cohorts.
And we will find the rest in the weeks ahead, including -- if they are still alive -- Saddam Hussein and his sons. If you have information on any of these people, then please give it to any coalition official -- military or civilian.
You will be helping to complete the process of change in this country. You will be helping to bring these people to justice. You will receive a financial reward. And we will ensure your safety.
There are a very few Iraqis left who are attacking change and progress in this country. These vicious men target the services you need, like electricity and water. They target, as we work together to transform this country. But rest assured that we are targeting them aggressively. Together, we will defeat them, to ensure that your new freedoms are safe, and that the momentous changes in Iraq in the last few weeks are never reversed. The coalition came as liberators. We have made all Iraqis free, and we will protect and entrench these freedoms.
This week, the new Governing Council will be formed. This will be a momentous step for Iraq:
The launch of the Governing Council will mean that Iraqis play a more central role in running their country. The Governing Council will be involved in all the significant decisions which the Iraqi Government and the Coalition need to take in the months ahead. The Council will name the new Ministers to lead Iraq's Ministries. And its members will be able to represent Iraq internationally. It will determine the budget for next year.
The formation of the Governing Council will also mark the start of the process leading to full, free and fair democratic elections in Iraq.
The Governing Council will bring together, for the first time in Iraq's history, a balanced representative group of political leaders from across this country. It will represent the diversity of Iraq: whether you are Shi'a or Sunni, Arab or Kurd, Baghdadi or Basrawi, man or woman, you will see yourself represented in this council. But, more importantly, the Council as a whole will represent all Iraqis. I look forward to the Council taking decisions on the basis of what is right for all Iraqis.
One of the Governing Council's first jobs will be to help launch the constitutional process: the process by which you, the Iraqi people, write your new constitution. It will be a constitution to cement your freedoms, and to enable these democratic elections to take place. The constitution will be written by Iraqis and for Iraqis. It will not be written by the Coalition. Once the constitution is written, you, the Iraqi people, will have an opportunity to approve it. Then you will elect a sovereign Iraqi government. And the Coalition's job will be done.
The Governing Council will be an interim body. A body to ensure that all Iraqis' views and needs are properly represented in this interim period. It will be a huge step forward in all the ways I have just described. But the Council is the first step on an important journey for all Iraqis. The end-goal is full, free and fair elections: real democracy and real accountability for the first time in Iraq's political history. That will mark a truly momentous moment for Iraq, when this country can once again lead this region by example, and by its modernity.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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