Word: bremer
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...only a tiny fraction of Iraq's military surrendered to coalition forces. The majority simply melted away. But the plan to use the few remaining Iraqi troops for peacekeeping was scrapped, and the way it was done boomeranged on the occupying authorities. Soon after arriving in Iraq, Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), ordered Iraq's military dissolved. He argued that this was merely a symbolic act, but it infuriated Iraqi troops who had put up little resistance to the invasion--as encouraged by leaflets dropped by the U.S.-led coalition. Some of those ex-soldiers...
...crucial sticking point in the negotiations at Geneva - and in those scheduled for the weeks ahead - is the question of who remains legally in charge in Baghdad between now and the establishment of a sovereign Iraqi government. In the U.S. view of things, that would be Ambassador Paul Bremer, with the UN playing the not entirely clearly defined support role previously occupied by late Sergio Vieira De Mello, the accomplished diplomat killed in last month's bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad. Absolutely not, say the French, Russians and Chinese. The only basis to confer UN legitimacy on the military...
...Taking political control in Baghdad away from Ambassador Bremer and handing it to a UN official, however, may go far beyond what Washington is willing to accept. Given the commitment of life and treasure the U.S. has already made in Iraq, and the fact that it will likely continue to shoulder the lion's share of military and economic responsibility, Washington is unlikely to simply hand over the reins to an international diplomat. And to do so, of course, would be to admit the failure of the administration's own postwar strategy. But some of President Bush's domestic critics...
...compromise currently being floated is for Bremer himself to be appointed as UN representative in Baghdad, allowing him to report both to Washington and to the Security Council. But that proposal may not sit well at either end of the divide...
...nice to have Iraq become the world vs. the terrorists--and perhaps financially, but it would have limited military utility: State expects only 10,000 U.N. peacekeepers. And a deal will be difficult: the U.N. will agree to American control of the military operations, but not civil administration. "No Bremer," an international diplomat told me. "He's not done very well...