Interim Leaders Named In Iraq

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called the interim government "a new beginning." But he also hinted at the pressure Brahimi faced.

"I think we all have to recognize that the process wasn't perfect and it was a difficult environment," Annan said. "And I think given the circumstances, I believe Mr. Brahimi did as best as he could."

Although Brahimi's decisions were made in secret, in consultation with senior U.S. officials and a handful of Iraqi leaders, he insisted the final product was the result of broad input from Iraqis. He said he met "hundreds, if not thousands of people and consulted with them" about the formation of the interim government.

Despite the council's influence in the selection of Allawi and Yawar, Brahimi appeared to have a freer hand in selecting cabinet members. Six of the new ministers are women and several are technocrats, reflecting Brahimi's desire for an administration without political affiliations. Only six of the 32 belong to large political parties.

Although Brahimi consulted with Allawi on cabinet appointments, a senior U.N. official said all but two of the ministers were chosen by Brahimi. Most of the ministers appointed by the Governing Council last year were removed, including three who were close to fundamentalist Muslims and two with connections to Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi politician who used to be a favorite of the Pentagon but has become an opponent of the U.S. occupation.

Chalabi, once regarded by some in the U.S. government as Iraq's president in waiting, did not attend the ceremony. No one from his Iraqi National Congress party was appointed by Brahimi.

The two vice presidents, Ibrahim Jafari of the Dawa party and Rowsch Shaways of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, are politicians, but they represent key constituencies -- conservative Shiites and ethnic Kurds.

Another senior Kurdish politician, Barham Salih, who served as Washington representative of the Kurds' autonomous region in northern Iraq during the 1990s, was appointed deputy prime minister. Leaders of Iraqi's Kurdish minority had sought either the presidency or the prime ministership but agreed to accept one of the vice presidential posts and two senior ministries. Another Kurd, Hoshyar Zubari, will continue to serve as the foreign minister.

Although it took over from the Governing Council on Tuesday, the new administration will be subordinate to the U.S. occupation authority until June 30, when the United States hands over limited authority. The next 29 days are regarded by U.S. officials as on-the-job training for the new government.

But there were already signs that participants would not be content with that role alone. Members of the new administration said they would attempt to influence the wording of a U.N. Security Council resolution that will set out the terms of the handover. Shaways said Zubari, who was traveling to U.N. headquarters in New York, would urge the Security Council to give the new administration full control of Iraqi security forces, a step the Bush administration has been resisting because it deems the country's army and police force unready for full autonomy. Yawar and other Iraqi leaders also want the new government to have greater control over the activities of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Asked about military control after June 30, Bush said: "We'll be flexible." At times, he said, the Iraqis may ask the United States to stay out of a situation; at other times, they may ask for help. But in no circumstance, he said, would U.S. troops "in harm's way" have to consult with anyone other than their own commanders.

During the past few weeks, there were indications of significant disagreement between the Governing Council and the trio of officials sorting out the transition: Brahimi, Bremer and White House envoy Robert D. Blackwill. Council members sought to play a central role in the process, while Brahimi and the U.S. officials wanted to broaden consultations to include provincial, tribal and religious leaders not represented on the council.

Tensions peaked when council members received word of Brahimi's initial choices for prime minister and president. The U.N. envoy had wanted to appoint Hussain Shahristani, a Shiite nuclear scientist, to the prime ministership, but Shiite politicians balked last week, forcing Brahimi to choose Allawi, whose candidacy had the support of U.S. officials.

When Brahimi sought to give the presidency to Pachachi, the council once again objected and insisted that the job go to Yawar. Both were on the Governing Council, but many members argued that Yawar, a civil engineer who lived in Saudi Arabia until the fall of Saddam Hussein's government, was a better choice. He is a leader of a large tribe, the Shamar, which includes both Sunnis and Shiites. He also was regarded by council members as more independent and less supportive of U.S. policies in Iraq than Pachachi.