Iraqi interim council member chides US failure in reconstruction
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Baghdad, April 3, IRNA -- A female member of the Iraqi Governing Council has upbraided the United States for failing to make good on its promises to reconstruct the country, devastated by a US-led invasion and years of a totalitarian rule by Saddam Hussein. "America entered Iraq with many promises, but it has not managed yet to come up to the Iraqi people`s expectations, especially in issues relating to infrastructure," said Salama al-Khafaji in an interview with IRNA here. "America`s achievements in this sector, especially in the field of Iraq`s reconstruction, has been negligible," said the 46-year-old dentist, who took from Akila al-Hashemi after she was gunned down by insurgents last year. According to Khafaji, US` failure in guaranteeing security in Iraq is more notable than other areas, saying Iraqis now have less than remaining patience to see the country back on its feet. She is one of the three female members appointed to the 25-seat Governing Council, who attracted a lot of media spotlight after demanding women be granted the same rights as men in the state echelon, including a defense ministry post. Khafaji said the Iraqi people were in a better position to reestablish security in the country. "The Iraqi people can guarantee their security and that of their country better than anyone else and we hope that the task of security will fully be handed over to the Iraqis after the transfer of sovereignty," she said. "Unfortunately, after the collapse of the ruling regime (of Saddam Hussein) in Iraq, the country`s army as well as its police and security establishments were dissolved and security was submitted wholesale to the coalition. "But, this coalition has failed to uphold security in Iraq," Khafaji said, recounting events in the aftermath of the Baath regime`s collapse. "Each time, on the eve of a foreign delegation`s visit to Iraq, especially coincident with the arrival of a UN delegation, bombings rise in Iraq in order to portray the country as insecure. "We are now witnessing sabotage operations, with their masterminds trying to suggest that Iraqis are incapable of guaranteeing security, especially at a time when the country`s police are at their nascent stage of taking shape and are not fully organized," she added. According to Khafaji, the task of maintaining security in Iraq were totally in the hands of the US-led coalition and they were the only ones, who knew about travels into and out of the country. "It is possible that certain individuals enter Iraq or leave it, with the Governing Council being uninformed, since there are no enough forces for deployment at the borders," she said. The interim council member stated that there was need for `enormous work and efforts to have Iraq retain its Arab and Islamic identity` and maintain its security and unity. Khafaji affirmed her reservations about some articles of the interim Iraqi constitution, which was signed by the Governing Council members in Baghdad in March. Among the main points of the document is to let the Iraqi Kurdistan, including four provinces in the country`s north, retain its federal status. Several Iraqi leaders, including prominent cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, have held reservations about the document, with the Shiite source of religious reference saying that the interim charter would make it harder for Iraq to agree on a permanent constitution. Khafaji said, "Formal criticism of some members of the Governing Council, who represent a big layer of the Iraqi society, has been made to substantiate popular criticism and objections." The temporary constitution will take effect on July 1 and will be in force until the end of 2005 before a permanent charter is devised by the country`s new parliament. BH/214 End
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