Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=7/15/03

TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

TITLE=IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL FORMED

NUMBER=6-13005

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The American press is hailing as a major

achievement in the rebuilding of Iraq the formation of an Iraqi governing council, made up of all the nation's

various ethnic and religious elements. While Shiite Muslims dominate, there are five Sunni Muslims,

three women, as well as one Christian and a Turkman. Both Kurdish autonomous regions in Northern Iraq are

also represented. A few papers are mildly skeptical that, with a number of Iraqi exiles on the council, it may

be a tough job convincing the populace that these people are really somewhat independent, and not merely the

"hand maidens" of the American civil administration. We get a sampling now from V-O-A's__________in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: The council met for the first time Sunday, after

careful consultations with U-S civilian administrator Paul Bremer and his staff. One of their first

actions was to ban various holidays associated with former dictator Saddam Hussein, which fall this week,

and to name a delegation to meet United Nations officials in New York.

In the U-S Middle west, the council's formation is seen as "A democratic start in Iraq" by the Chicago Tribune.

VOICE: It has yet to be tested, but the ... council ... represents a historic moment in the history of Iraq, which has never tasted democratic government. This is a critical step in the normalization of Iraq, the development of

democracy - and the eventual withdrawal of coalition forces. ...The council now faces ... a ... difficult

task... to establish its own legitimacy and credibility among the Iraqi people ...

/// OPT /// In Cairo, the Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa expressed wariness regarding the ... council because it had not been elected. That is ... curious ... given [that] most of the league's membership is made up of emirs, sultans

and various other non-elected types. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: Views of the Chicago Tribune.

In South Carolina, Charleston's Post and Courier calls it "a positive step."

VOICE: The establishment of a 25-member governing council ... represents an encouraging advance toward fulfilling the promise of self-determination for a nation traumatized by decades of tyranny. So was the council's decision

Monday [7-14] to send a delegation to the [U-N] as the nation's rightful voice on the international

scene.

Another encouraging development: The European union's foreign policy director [Spain's Javier Solana] ... calls the governing council "a first important step toward a genuine and representative Iraqi administration."

TEXT: Excerpts from The Charleston Post and Courier.

To The New York Post, the council represents "A Great Leap for Iraqi Democracy," while across town, The New York Times also

applauds.

VOICE: Washington was wise to speed the formation of a broadly representative ...Governing Council for Iraq... [However], How coherently this highly disparate body can act and how much

power it will wield remain to be seen. Yet at least the appearance of limited self-government has been

restored, and appearances do count. ...Once the security situation is stabilized, increasing responsibility for

security should be transferred into Iraqi hands.

TEXT: Views of the New York Times.

Boston's Christian Science Monitor is also hopeful that this is a big step forward.

VOICE: The council's first task will be to convince Iraqis that it represents and serves them - - and is not just a front for coalition officials pulling strings behind the scenes. Especially important will be the reaction of the Sunni Arabs,

who have always governed Iraq despite their minority status. ... The ... council now must show that Iraqis can

govern themselves peacefully after decades of dictatorship.

TEXT: With a view from Texas, The Dallas Morning News suggests, in summing up, that:

VOICE: Some Iraqis and non-Iraqis may be

tempted to disparage the council because it is non-elected ...[But] Before Iraq can run it must walk ... [And] In

a larger sense, the interim government is important because it tells average Iraqis that the butcher of Baghdad isn't coming back to harm them no matter how much the "bitter-enders" who attack U-S troops and murder Iraqi policemen may wish it. It tells them to look forward with hope instead of backward with fear.

TEXT: On that hopeful note from Texas, we conclude this editorial sampling on the formation of Iraq's

Governing Council.

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