Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=5/23/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=U-S / CHALABI (L-O)

NUMBER=2-316149

BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi politician whose offices in Baghdad were raided last week, is calling for President Bush to get personally involved in the country's June 30th transition to sovereignty. Meanwhile, American lawmakers express their doubts about Mr. Chalabi, who some U-S officials once considered a potential leader in post-war Iraq. V-O-A's Stephanie Ho has more from Washington.

TEXT: Last year, the U-S government praised its cooperation with Ahmad Chalabi, whose Iraqi National Congress had been providing intelligence information about Iraq. In January, he sat just behind First Lady Laura Bush during the president's State of the Union address.

The raid Thursday on the Iraqi National Congress offices in Baghdad shows how this closeness has unraveled.

On the N-B-C television program "Meet the Press," Mr. Chalabi denounced the raid on his group's Baghdad offices a few days ago, and strongly denied accusations that he or his organization have been spying for neighboring Iran.

/// FIRST CHALABI ACT ///

We have had many meetings with the Iranian government, but we have passed no secret information, no classified documents to them from the United States.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Chalabi said his recent call to the United States to - in his words - "let my people go," referred to giving Iraqis their own sovereignty after the departure of the U-S-led Coalition Provisional Authority.

/// OPT SECOND CHALABI ACT ///

And we want arrangements to give Iraq control over its armed forces, over its finances. We want the advisers appointed by the C-P-A to go when the C-P-A is dissolved on June 30th. And we want to make it possible for the U-S troops to go out of Iraq with the thanks of the Iraqi people, after having liberated our country.

/// END ACT, END OPT ///

He also rejected current political plans under discussion for post-transition Iraq, and instead put forth his own alternative.

/// THIRD CHALABI ACT ///

I call on President Bush, who is still the most popular politician in Iraq, to convene a meeting of Iraqi leaders in Camp David, to iron out this process and put in place a government for Iraq that is effective and representative, and can lead Iraq to elections next January.

/// END ACT ///

Meanwhile, back on Capitol Hill, American lawmakers are looking into what role the Iraqi National Congress played in U-S pre-war intelligence.

On C-N-N's "Late Edition," Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said she believes Mr. Chalabi did not provide accurate information to the U-S government.

/// FEINSTEIN ACT ///

Well, there was a lot of misleading. And there is no question but that the United States was misled. We were misled on weapons of mass destruction. We were misled on the number of troops that could go in. We were misled on the occupation.

/// END ACT ///

Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, Republican Pat Roberts, told C-B-S's "Face the Nation" his committee is planning to release a report on the issue next month.

/// ROBERTS ACT ///

I would like to reserve comment until that report comes out. But there is a school of thought, especially by the C-I-A, that Mr. Chalabi's intelligence input was not that good. And that is probably an understatement.

/// END ACT ///

Congress had approved tens of millions of dollars for payments to the Iraqi National Congress. (SIGNED)

NEB/SHO/RAE