Reuters News Article Governing Body, U.S. Pick CIA Link Allawi as Iraqi PM:
"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iyad Allawi, a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party who then worked with the CIA to topple him, was chosen as prime minister of Iraq Friday.
Charged with taking over from the U.S. occupation authority on June 30 and leading his country to its first free elections next year, his nomination emerged from a unanimous consensus at a meeting of the 25 U.S. appointees on Iraq's Governing Council.
United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, whom Washington asked to help shape a new Iraqi government, welcomed the choice of the British-educated, Shi'ite neurologist through a spokesman.
It was unclear how far U.S. officials or Brahimi influenced the choice of a long-time exile known to few Iraqis and whom people in Baghdad said was an outsider they could not trust.
Brahimi and Iraq's U.S. governor Paul Bremer endorsed the nomination, Governing Council member Mahmoud Othman said: 'We had a meeting with Bremer and Brahimi and they both agreed and congratulated him and were happy about it,' Othman told Reuters.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said only that he was waiting to hear from Brahimi and made no mention of Allawi, who survived an assassination bid by Iraqi agents in London in 1978.
A secular Muslim from Iraq's long-oppressed majority Shi'ite community, Allawi will be joined on the 30-member team by Sunni Muslims, Kurds and representatives of Iraq's other minorities.
Brahimi is expected to announce a Sunni president, two vice presidents and 26 cabinet ministers over the next few days.
'Mr. Brahimi welcomes the decision to nominate Mr. Allawi,' said Brahimi's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi, adding that the two would meet soon to discuss candidates for remaining government posts."
"BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iyad Allawi, a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath party who then worked with the CIA to topple him, was chosen as prime minister of Iraq Friday.
Charged with taking over from the U.S. occupation authority on June 30 and leading his country to its first free elections next year, his nomination emerged from a unanimous consensus at a meeting of the 25 U.S. appointees on Iraq's Governing Council.
United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, whom Washington asked to help shape a new Iraqi government, welcomed the choice of the British-educated, Shi'ite neurologist through a spokesman.
It was unclear how far U.S. officials or Brahimi influenced the choice of a long-time exile known to few Iraqis and whom people in Baghdad said was an outsider they could not trust.
Brahimi and Iraq's U.S. governor Paul Bremer endorsed the nomination, Governing Council member Mahmoud Othman said: 'We had a meeting with Bremer and Brahimi and they both agreed and congratulated him and were happy about it,' Othman told Reuters.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said only that he was waiting to hear from Brahimi and made no mention of Allawi, who survived an assassination bid by Iraqi agents in London in 1978.
A secular Muslim from Iraq's long-oppressed majority Shi'ite community, Allawi will be joined on the 30-member team by Sunni Muslims, Kurds and representatives of Iraq's other minorities.
Brahimi is expected to announce a Sunni president, two vice presidents and 26 cabinet ministers over the next few days.
'Mr. Brahimi welcomes the decision to nominate Mr. Allawi,' said Brahimi's spokesman Ahmad Fawzi, adding that the two would meet soon to discuss candidates for remaining government posts."
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