theage.com.au - The Age Banker in, cleric out in struggle to create leadership
April 19 2003
Picking Iraqis who are capable of running the country acceptable to the population is proving a delicate task. Robyn Dixon reports from Basra.
A week ago, British military commanders chose a Shiite religious leader to help steer the future of this southern city of 1.5 million, describing Sheik Muzahim al-Tamimi as a unifying figure.
But the selection sparked demonstrations and rock-throwing outside Sheik Muzahim's house. Residents decried his links to Saddam Hussein's regime and some complained that a religious figure would prove divisive.
This week, the British quietly nudged him aside in favour of the city's wealthiest businessman, Ghalib Kubba, who was named to head an interim council advising the British commander. Yet some residents immediately criticised Mr Kubba - saying he was also too close to Saddam's regime.
The reactions underscore the delicate task confronting British and American military officials. They are struggling to find people who can rebuild the nation yet maintain some distance from the regime that controlled it for 35 years.
What is clear, said a Western observer, is that it had been impossible to do business in Iraq without close links with the regime, and now it is difficult to get the country running again without their expertise. "I don't think the British are naive," he said. "I believe they think they can't run it any other way."
April 19 2003
Picking Iraqis who are capable of running the country acceptable to the population is proving a delicate task. Robyn Dixon reports from Basra.
A week ago, British military commanders chose a Shiite religious leader to help steer the future of this southern city of 1.5 million, describing Sheik Muzahim al-Tamimi as a unifying figure.
But the selection sparked demonstrations and rock-throwing outside Sheik Muzahim's house. Residents decried his links to Saddam Hussein's regime and some complained that a religious figure would prove divisive.
This week, the British quietly nudged him aside in favour of the city's wealthiest businessman, Ghalib Kubba, who was named to head an interim council advising the British commander. Yet some residents immediately criticised Mr Kubba - saying he was also too close to Saddam's regime.
The reactions underscore the delicate task confronting British and American military officials. They are struggling to find people who can rebuild the nation yet maintain some distance from the regime that controlled it for 35 years.
What is clear, said a Western observer, is that it had been impossible to do business in Iraq without close links with the regime, and now it is difficult to get the country running again without their expertise. "I don't think the British are naive," he said. "I believe they think they can't run it any other way."
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