Iraqi Politicians Press for Wider Role

U.S.-Appointed Leaders Seek New National Council With Expanded Powers

BAGHDAD, May 12 -- Politicians on Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing Council are pushing for significant changes in the interim government being crafted by a U.N. envoy, posing a new complication to the Bush administration's plan to relinquish civilian administrative powers here in 50 days.

With the Iraqi Governing Council set to dissolve on June 30, members said they wanted to form a new national council in order to retain influence in the interim government. The members want a new council to share power with the government outlined by Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy for Iraq. Brahimi's blueprint envisions a caretaker executive branch consisting of a president, a prime minister and a 25-member cabinet of specialists, according to U.S. and U.N. officials.

Senior U.S. officials responsible for Iraq policy oppose the Governing Council's idea. But council members said they would not abandon the proposal because they said the country's interim constitution gives them the authority to form the transitional government that will replace them. They added that proposals advanced by Brahimi, a veteran diplomat whose role has the endorsement of the Bush administration, are not binding.

"We shall listen to the ideas of Mr. Brahimi, but his ideas are not compulsory for us," said Izzedine Salim, the current holder of the council's rotating presidency. "The Governing Council is the one responsible for forming the government."

In contrast with Brahimi's proposed executive branch, which emphasizes technical expertise over political connections, Governing Council members are calling for another body in the interim government that would be composed of representatives of various political groups. Such a body would give the new government credibility, they insist, and it would provide an essential check on the executive.

"The new government needs political weight," said Adel Abdel-Mehdi, a senior leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a large Shiite Muslim political party. "The major, important political parties and currents should be there."

Brahimi has said he supports the idea of convening a large national conference in July to select an advisory body that would have limited powers. But Brahimi opposes forming such an entity before June 30 or granting it lawmaking powers, as some in the Governing Council are seeking, a U.N. official involved in the transition said. Brahimi has proposed an interim government of technical experts whose powers would largely be limited to the day-to-day operations of the country and preparing for national elections early next year, the U.N. official said.

"It should be a caretaker government," the official said.

Senior U.S. officials said Wednesday they supported Brahimi's proposal. The officials also said it would be impossible to hold a national conference before the planned June handover.

"That won't happen. It can't be done," a senior official with the U.S. occupation authority said. "It's simply not possible to have a conference in the time frame before the 30th of June."

Governing Council members are still debating the contours of a new entity, but they have said they want a body that would enjoy wide authority, including control over the budget and the right to appoint new cabinet members. "It will be a sort-of safety valve," Abdel-Mehdi said. "Since we will not have an elected government, it will assure people that we have controlled results and we are not going for a dangerous adventure."

The difference of opinion about the formation of a new council threatens to cause a confrontation between the occupation authority and many of its closest political allies in Iraq at a time when both sides deem cooperation crucial to the success of the handover of power. But so far, neither side appears to be budging.

There is little time remaining to resolve the matter. U.S. officials have said they want members of the interim government to be named by June 1, to give them a month to prepare for their new jobs.

It is not yet clear who will determine membership in the new government. Brahimi has said he will not decide and instead will consult with the occupation authority and the Governing Council. U.S. and U.N. officials said it was likely that Brahimi would weigh names in collaboration with members of the Governing Council and two senior representatives of the U.S. government: L. Paul Bremer, the civil administrator of Iraq, and Robert D. Blackwill, a senior official with the National Security Council who is in Iraq to work on the political transition. Officials close to the process said the choice of president and prime minister also will involve consultations with the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon.