Garner
To Be Replaced By Former Diplomat
By Donald
Macintyre
06 May 2003
Jay Garner, the former general who was appointed Iraq's chief civil
administrator, was on his way out last night as it became clear that
Washington was dropping him in favour of a former diplomat equally close
to the Bush government.
General Garner is likely
to leave Iraq within weeks after a decision that he was not up to the
delicate political task of coaxing the country towards democracy.
Paul Bremer, the State Department's
former head of counter-terrorism, is expected to take charge of the
Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Affairs.
General Garner's somewhat
erratic style on political issues was evident yesterday after he said
the "beginning of a nucleus of an Iraqi government" would
be in place by mid-May.
In fact about half a dozen
former leaders of opposition to Saddam Hussein are expected to be in
charge of convening a conference in four weeks' time, which will be
designed to agree a transitional government.
Although the change replaces
a Pentagon appointee with a State Department person, Mr Bremer is thought
to be close to neo-conservatives around the US Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld.
This is significant because
it suggests continuing support by US administrators here for the Iraqi
National Congress headed by Dr Ahmad Chalabi.
The transitional government
envisaged in talks by Iraqi politicians could have an interim prime
minister and a cabinet of about.25
Opinions differ sharply over
whether Mr Chalabi and the INC, has an established base in the country.
But it has strong Pentagon support and has become highly pro-active
since Dr Chalabi's return to Baghdad last month.