- The Americans
At the end of March 2003, Bush and Blair have opposing opinions on how to run Iraq after it is defeated. Bush was the American militaries to run it alone, or with some little British help. Blair would prefer to entrust the United Nations to run the country with civilian rules. In the end Bush will decide and Blair will comply, and it will take some time before a civil administration under the UN responsibility or to the opponents of Saddam Hussein is handed over the running of new Iraq. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it will be difficult to form a democratic Iraqi government that would include the Muslims, the Shia and the Kurds. Better let the Americans and the British to sort out the mess they created.

On May 1, 2003, Paul Bremer, a former US diplomat and terrorism expert, was nominated to be Iraq's civilian administrator. It looks like a victory for the State Department in their struggle with the Pentagon. Bremer was President Reagan's adviser on counter-terrorism. He will oversee the Pentagon man in Baghdad, Jay Garner who is expected to stay only a few months in Iraq.

On May 4, 2003, the US-British forces in Iraq were on a collision route with some powerful religious groups especially the Shia. They organised a meeting in Baghdad with the main five Iraqi exile groups including the man chosen by the Pentagon to rule Iraq, Ahmad Chalabi. They aim to write the blueprint for a post-Saddam government. However other political and religious groups from inside the country but excluded from the meetings are far from happy and are holding their own talks. The exile groups are planning a western-style democracy for post-war Iraq in a secular -as opposed to Islamic- state which will have a free-market economy with the dollar as the national currency for the next two years at least. Other aspects of their plans are:
- A conference of 240 Iraqi representatives from Inside and 60 exiles would soon meet to choose a government.
- These representatives would choose a cabinet of about 25 members who will select the prime minister and a president.
- Another committee, already at work, would draw a constitution that would make Iraq a secular state. A census would determine those eligible to vote including 4 million exiles wishing to come back.
- An election would be held in about 2 years.
This is what the Americans want -the British only have to agree- but many religious groups want an Islamic constitution and an Islamic state and they have the majority.

On May 11, 2003, Washington called back one of its most senior envoy to Iraq after only three weeks admitting in this way that running this country is much more difficult that thought initially. Mrs Barbara Bodine, the coordinator for Central Iraq and a previous ambassador to Yemen, was sacked for failing to restore law and order and basic services to Baghdad. Her removal comes after we were told that ex-general Jay Garner, head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Aid (ORHA) was also to be replaced by Mr Bremer, a diplomat close to Colin Powell, with the British ex-ambassador to Cairo, John Sawyer, as his deputy. These removals were due to the fact that Iraq remains in chaos. Looting continue, water and electricity are not working, food convoys are looted, and most of Baghdad streets are out of reach at night as law and order has not yet been restored.

On May 16, 2003, there were a lot more criticism in the way the USA is planning to rebuilt Iraq as the Texan businessman, Philip Carroll, chosen to run its oil industry admitted having financial links with some firms bidding to do the job, Fluor especially from which he receives more than $1m a year in retirement benefits and bonuses. He also owns one million of its shares worth about $34m. . Most contracts already awarded are to firms with links to the American administration.

On May 17, 2003, it became clear that the British and Americans were scrapping plans to hand over the control of Iraq to a transitional government made up mainly of exile Iraqis. They have also abandoned their plan for a National assembly in the near future. The US appointed civilians administrators instead and the military wild remain in charge for an undisclosed period of time. The exile are fighting for power between themselves and do not represent anything and especially not the Shia Muslims who are the majority of the people in Iraq. Spain also revealed a lack of fund for the reconstruction. It was believed that the oil revenue would amount too much less that the required $41bn in the next two years to rebuild Iraq. The oil infrastructure is in poor state and would require about $3.5bn to renovate it. Now the US wants France and Germany to contribute to the reconstruction. These countries have not reacted to this proposal yet.

On May 23, 2003, General Tommy Frank, the man who won the Afghan and the Iraqi wars within 18 months has decided to retire from the active military service. No date has been given but it will certainly leave in the autumn. The same day, the American in charge of the Iraqi administration, Paul Bremer, announced the dissolution of the Iraqi military forces. This decision applies also to the Defence and Information Ministries as well as some security services.

On June 27, 2003, the USA realised that they are becoming too isolated in the world and that their military forces are too dispersed all over the world. Donald Rumsfeld, doing a complete U-turn, suggested the creation of an international peacekeeping force that would maintain order in the world's troubled places. This is also due to the fact that the US is blamed more and more everyday for the way they handle the post-war situation in Iraq. There is little doubt that they will want to lead this international force but some countries such as France, Germany, China and Russia would not accept this easily.

On June 29, 2003, the Observer claimed that Iraq was on the way to be taken over by Wall Street and that the consequences for the country could be worse that the war. Bechtel is already in charge of rebuilding the infrastructure, but this is only a beginning. Oil concessions, health privatisation, banks, insurance companies and even mobile phone licences are the next to be given to American firms linked to the White House or the right wing Republican party. And all this without asking the opinion of the "liberated" Iraqis. This "invasion" is ideological as well as commercial. Bush said that he hope that the Middle East will be a "free trade area" within 10 years replacing "corruption and self dealing with free markets".

On June 30, 2003, the British and the Americans admitted that they made mistakes -which is obvious to all with the exceptions of the American people- in their effort to set-up a secure and democratic post-war civilian administration in Iraq. They admitted that they planned for a wrong post-war crisis. They even had to arrest some of their appointees for corruption.

Paul Bremer, the senior US administrator in Iraq said on July 31, 2003, that free election could take place in the country in less than one year after a new constitution is adopted by referendum. The new government would take over authority over Iraq and Paul Bremer's mission would be finished.

On August 5, 2003, Ahmed al-Rikabi, the broadcaster chosen by the Americans to run "the Voice of Free Iraq" after the fall of Saddam Hussein resigned saying that the USA is loosing the propaganda war partly due to a lack of money and modern equipments. Some other Arab stations, like al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya, are much more popular that are inciting the Iraqis to turn against the invaders and contributing in this way to increase the tension inside Iraq. Saddam Hussein's tapes played by these two stations are a good example of who is winning the propaganda war.

In August 2003, Paul Bremer, Iraq's US Administrator, issued Order Number One, the deBaathification decree, that forbid ex-members of the Ba'ath party to hold official position or work in public services. It also affects university professors and when the course start again in a few days about 2,000 professors will be told to stay home. Unfortunately they are nobody to replace them. It will especially affect the medical profession who need as many doctors and specialists that they can get.

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, flew into Baghdad on September 14, 2003, to meet Iraqi politicians members of the government council appointed by the Americans. It was his first visit to Iraq since the war. Hoshijar Zebaru, the Iraqi foreign minister told Powell that he wanted an elected Iraqi government by the end of next year. Most ministers told Powell that they wanted the US to hand over security to the Iraqi. Powell said that, in the American opinion, the danger to Iraq is now coming mainly from about 2,000 foreign Islamic fighters that are now present in the country. Powell said that he had had an exiting meeting with the new "governing council2, that he was impressed by the people hard at work in Baghdad to reconstruct the country and the nation. However he forgot to mention the present day problems: the $87bm president Bush needs to run Iraq in the next 12 months, the number of dead Americans and the higher number of dead Iraqis. He only mentioned the death of the 8 policemen and one security guard murdered by American soldiers (of course they will pay a few hundred dollars compensation to their families). Paul Bremer described it as "a regrettable incident still under investigation by our militaries". What would they say if they were Americans? No astonishing the people of Falluja want revenge. He also said "Iraq will be a free and democratic country, a friend and partner of the USA, a responsible player on the world stage." But it will take sometime before a new Iraqi government can take over. It was also revealed that 95% of the Iraqi oil revenue goes to the Iraqi Development Fund and 5% to for the 1991 Kuwaiti reparations. We do not know how much the Iraqis have to pay for its invasion. Of course there has to be a constitution that has to be ratified, then there would be free elections that would lead to "a leadership dedicated to democratic principles". Mr Powell never went outside the barbed wire protection zone but he felt that he could say that he noticed "a vibrancy in Iraq that I attribute to the understanding of freedom through this land that America had liberated". Of course he did not mention that they are occupying the country and that the US soldiers are often the object of 50 attacks a night, that missiles are fired to US planes everyday that Baghdad or Basra airports are not yet safe to be open to civilian traffic. Still, everything is going for the best for the USA!

On October 11, 2003, the Nobel-prize winner, Joseph Stiglitz, a former World Bank chief economist, said that the laws enacted by the US and British occupation forces in Iraq could lead to "social instability and Russian-style asset striping". These laws allow foreign firms to buy and own 100% of all state assets with the exclusion of natural resources such as oil. Trade tariffs and taxes have been reduced and the Iraqi Central Bank is now independent. This is pure Republican doctrine but they do not dare to impose them in the USA that is, on the opposite, protectionist.

On October 28, 2003, US Secretary of State Colin Powell asked the foreign aid agencies not to leave Iraq after the bombing of the International Red Cross' offices. However many organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, have already moved out their foreign staff.

Paul Bremer, the top American official in Iraq has been recalled urgently to Washington on November 11, 2003, to discuss a possible new policy in front of the continuous disruption of the security. US State Secretary, Colin Powell, met him and he talked to President Bush.

On November 11, 2003, it is obvious that Washington is getting impatient with the Iraqi governing Council. According to the Americans the Council is spending too much time writing the interim constitution and doing very little in the way of running the country. They could replace it with something similar to what has been done in Afghanistan where President Karzai ran the country from an early stage.

On November 12, 2003, President Bush had a meeting with Paul Bremer to discuss a possible new way to hand over power to an Iraqi government. It looks like Washington is rethinking its Iraqi policy, moving away from giving top priority to the reconstruction of the country in favour of anticipating the transfer of power.

On November 13, 2003, the wish of the Americans to change their policy in Iraq was evident to all. With the agreement of President Bush, the US wants to speed up the transfer of power as soon as possible. Bush goes on saying that him, Blair, Aznar of Spain and Berlusconi will not surrender to the terrorists and get out of Iraq before the country is stable. Bush is asking for new plans because he knows that a continuing post-war chaos in Iraq could prevent his re-election. As a reporter said, America wants to "hand the keys back to the Iraqis" and reduce their commitment before the presidential elections; and the sooner the better. The main question whether the US troops will leave Iraq after handing power to a new Iraqi government. The answer is most probably negative for the near future. If the Americans left now it is probable that the Shia religious leaders -and the Shia are the majority in the country- would impose a government working under Islamic laws, in other words a theocracy like in Iran and this, the Americans do not want. According to the latest polls, the American people still support the war in Iraq but they also believe that two many American soldiers are killed. Getting out of there before the elections is a "must do" for Bush to be re-elected.

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, met 25 European ministers in Brussels on November 18, 2003, to discuss the post-war in Iraq. He also told them that the USA find the project of resolution presented by three European states in relation to Iran's nuclear programme, as being too weak.

On November 24, 2003, Paul Bremer and the Iraqi Governing Council banned the al- Arabiya television network to operate and broadcast in Iraq. This follows the broadcasting by al-Arabiya of an audiotape said to be from Saddam Hussein in which he tells the Iraqis to kill the members of the Governing Council and to attack the coalition forces and their Iraqi collaborators. The network is calling this action censorship of the kind that existed during Saddam Hussein's regime.

On December 1, 2003, US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, told a meeting of NATO in Brussels that the US would welcome more help in Iraq. A possibility would be for NATO to take command of the multinational division now headed by Poland. Again on December 4, US Secretary of States, Colin Powell, suggested that NATO and the UN should increase their activities in Iraq. This was only a proposal and not yet a request. There was no objection, not even from France and Germany that took a "wait and see" attitude.

On December 5, 2003, President Bush nominated his friend James A. Baker as his personal envoy in Iraq to help the country deal with its foreign debt that amount to between 125 and $200bn.

On December 6, 2003, Donald Rumsfeld was in Iraq to get a personal idea of the level of increasing Iraqi security forces as well as of the security in the country at the present time. The attacks against the US forces have decreased by more than 50% (from 40 to less than 20) in the last 2 weeks but the guerrillas are far from being defeated. About 140,000 Iraqis have joined the police force including 15,290 in the defence corps. Rumsfeld visited Baghdad and Kirkuk during his 12 hours stay in Iraq, his third visit in the country this year. The aim is to have 220,000 Iraqi security forces by mid-2004 could be too little.

On January 4, 2004, we were told that the USA is planning the construction of their embassy in Baghdad. It will be the biggest US embassy in the world to accommodate more than 3,000 staff. As they promised publicly before, the USA does not intend to stay in Iraq once they have handed power to the Iraqis! More lies as usual!! The US embassy in Egypt has more than 7,000 personnel but they include many from other agencies.

On January 4, 204, the Bush administration has decided to let the Kurdish region of Iraq to remain semiautonomous into the newly sovereign Iraq. Some Iraq's neighbour states and many Iraqis are not pleased with this decision. It is not clear yet if Iraq will be divided into ethnic states into a federation.

On January 4, 2004, it was decided in Washington DC that James Baker will now try to persuade Arab nations to forget the Iraqi debts estimated to be about $40bn. This comes after Baker got positive answers from the European and Asian states. On January 21, 2004, Baker won also a pledge from some Arab states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar) to reduce the debts Iraq own them (estimated to $40bn) but the percentage of the reduction is not known.

On January 7, 203, the Americans had to admit that the supply of fuel, electricity and water is taxing the patience of the Iraqis. Nine months after the US-British invaded Iraq, the Iraqis are still in a worse situation that they were under Saddam Hussein. The so-called acceptation of the "liberators" is not for now. On the contrary, this and the massive number of arrests -often without justification other that "an arrested Iraqi is an arrested terrorist" to paraphrase an old American saying: "A good Indian is a dead Indian".

On January 15, 2004, it was clear that the USA had a problem in Iraq. To show President Bush in a good light and improve his chance to be re-elected in November they accepted a deal that foresee a new government in Iraq by July 1, 2004. However they do not want any government but only one that takes his orders in Washington. And the best way to do it is by having a parliament elected by "manipulated" caucuses, one in each of the 18 Iraqi provinces. Unfortunately the Shiites and their leader Grand Ayatollah Sistani disagree and want free election because they know that in this way they will run the country as about 60% of the Iraqi population is Shiite. If the Americans refuse they threaten to boycott the caucuses! They succeeded to have 30,000 of their people manifesting for it in the streets of Basra. So Paul Bremer is flying to Washington to discuss with the administration at the highest level including President Bush. On January 16, the USA agreed to revise its Iraqi election plan to create self-rule in Iraq. However Paul Bremer rejected postponement of the June 30 deadline for ending the occupation and handing over power. But the USA still believes that general elections by that time are not possible. They agreed to review how the caucuses would work and they are asking the UN's help with the elections and the transition. The Shiites have until now asked direct elections for the provisional legislature that will choose the interim government as well as on whether tens of thousand of American peacekeeping troops should remain to help keeping order. These demands put the US government in a difficult position; can they really argue against direct elections as they have always said their goal is a democratic Iraq? The Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani is believed to be ready to issue a "fatwa", or edict, to deny legitimacy to any council or government elected under the American plan -which, by the way foresees that some of the caucuses' members will be appointed by the US! Moreover some Sunnis seem to agree with Sistani.

On January 16, 2004, Halliburton was awarded a $1.2bn, two-year contract to rebuild the oil industry in southern Iraq. This contract was open to competition and Halliburton won.

On March 4, 2004, it is believed that Paul Bremer's plans to increase Iraqi border security will not be enough to prevent foreign terrorists to enter the country. Bremer is speaking of having 8,000 border guards but Saddam Hussein had 40,000 -not including those in the Kurdish region- and they were not enough.

On March 17, 2004, US General Jay Garner, who was dismissed after one month as the first occupation administrator, said that this was due to the fact that he wanted free elections in Iraq as soon as possible and rejected an imposed programme of privatisations.

On March 19, 2004, US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, visited briefly Baghdad to discuss the transfer of power to the Iraqi and the level of UN involvement. About 30 Iraqi and other Arab journalists walked out of his press conference in protest for the killing of two Arab journalists by US soldiers the day before in circumstances that make it murder.

On March 19, 2004, Paul Bremer said that things were becoming better in Iraq. According to him, unemployment has been reduced from 60 to 30%, oil production is back at pre-war level, the supply of electricity and water was above what it was with Saddam Hussein and 70,000 Iraqi policemen are in service, traffic is now chaotic, more shops are open, and polls show that the Iraqis are optimistic about the future and require democracy in their country. The only negative point is the lack of security.

The bloodshed, violence and chaos in Iraq seems to help John Kerry, the democratic presidential candidate on April 9, 2004 as the confidence in Bush's ability to handle the situation decreases according to recent poll. According to these polls only 44% of the Americans approve of the way Bush is handling the Iraqi problem, down 7 points in 11 days. Moreover only 49% believe that he is doing a good job, the lowest percentage ever in his presidency. The USA has 135,000 soldiers in Iraq but about 25,000 were due to go home soon; now it seems likely that they will be kept there for more time.

On April 19, 2004, President Bush said that John Negroponte, American ambassador to the UN would replace Paul Bremer in Baghdad after transferring the power to the Iraqis on July 1.

On May 14, 2004, Paul Bremer, the American governor of Iraq, said that the US troops would leave the country is asked to do it by the interim Iraqi government that will take power on July 1. However he believes that such a request will not materialise.

On May 16, 2004, the US authorities and Colin Powell said that they intend to keep control of the coalition forces after June 30, but also of the Iraqi troops. Blair believes that the US and Britain have agreed to a strategy to allow the coalition troops to leave Iraq as soon as possible. These two do not seem to understand each other. Blair says that the US and Britain have adopted the following strategy:
- In a first step, they would give the Iraqis control over their own security as soon as possible after training the necessary police, police and border forces.
- To give the Iraqi interim government full sovereignty from July 1.
What Mr Powell said meant that the discussion at the UN Security Council on a new resolution on Iraq would not be easy? France has already said that they want full transfer of power to the Iraqis on June 30 and full control over their forces. Both France and Russia, but also Germany, wants also a clear and precise timetable for the withdrawal of the coalition forces from Iraq.

On May 18, 2004, we were told that the USA is stopping paying $335,000 a month to the Iraqi exile group headed by Ahmed Chalabi. He is now believed to have given the USA false information to justify the invasion of Iraq.

On May 19, 2004 the Bush administration is still struggling to resolve basic questions about what happens after the fast approaching June 30 transfer of sovereignty in Iraq. The Bush administration finds itself increasingly dependent on groups it once dismissed as irrelevant or evil. The White House's dramatic, if unacknowledged, policy shifts add even more uncertainties to the effort to rebuild Iraq. However, they may represent a needed dose of realism in a post-war effort that has been sabotaged by this administration's arrogant and naive unilateralism. Before the war, President Bush was contemptuous of the United Nations. Now he has given UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and his diplomats carte blanche to determine the makeup of the new Iraqi leadership. For most of the past year, US authorities worked to disband the Iraqi army, disarm rival militias and purge the new government of Baathists and other Saddam Hussein loyalists. Now many of those same Iraqis of dubious backgrounds and intentions are being relied upon to maintain order in trouble spots, such as Falluja and Najaf, where US troops cannot safely operate. The Bush administration is obliged to agree some form of transfer of power on June 30. US credibility has been so damaged by the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and other setbacks that a delay in the formal transfer of sovereignty would be politically ruinous. At the same time, no Iraqi government can gain legitimacy if it is seen as an American creation. That makes Brahimi's role crucial. It also puts pressure on the White House to give real power to Iraqis, ready or not, in overseeing the country's political, military and economic institutions. Brahimi must decide whether the new government will be led by transitional technocrats or by politicians with long-term ambitions, including members of the current Governing Council. He also must try to balance the representation of Iraq's fractious religious and ethnic constituencies. The world will wait to see whether Iraqis gain real control over their country's police, prisons, oil facilities and other assets. There are the continuing disagreements over what may be the most crucial issue of all: the future of US troops in Iraq. Our forces clearly will continue to deal with Iraqi security in the short run, but what if the new government asks Washington to reduce or reposition its forces, or remove them altogether? Pentagon and State Department officials have openly disagreed about how we would respond. If the June 30 transfer is to be more than an empty exercise, the new Iraqi leaders must have real power in setting the country's future. White House officials are in no position to dictate to Brahimi or Iraq's interim leaders, but they can at least resolve the continuing disagreements among themselves. The coming transition will bear little resemblance to the grand vision President Bush concocted at the start of the war. But our government has an obligation to lay the foundation for a stable, representative government that can move Iraq beyond the bloody chaos of the past year. Only then can our troops be honourably extricated from this heartbreakingly costly conflict.

Bush talked on television on May 25, 2004. His aim was to present his policy for Iraq but he was not very convincing at least seen from Europe. He said that Iraq would have full sovereignty after June 30 but also that the 138,000 US soldiers will continue to do what they want in the country. He also wants the Iraqi soldiers to be under US command!! He also said that he intends to have the Abu Ghraib prison destroyed to cancel a symbol of Saddam Hussein's torture (and what about the American's behaviour there).

On June 27, 2004, The Observer informed its readers that the USA is proposing to divert funds foreseen for the reconstruction of Iraq to pay off part of the country's huge £10bn international debt and repayment bills. This international debt originated during the war with Iran during the Saddam Hussein regime. The creditors are mainly Arab countries but many western ones are owned important amounts of money too. Moreover it has also been revealed that more that 30% of the reconstruction contracts are spent on security and personnel insurances; about 20% more go to corruption. What is left to help the Iraqi people is very little compared to their needs. Only the big American corporations are making money!

On June 28 2004, Paul Bremer, the chief administrator of Iraq for the past 14 months, signed over political control of the country to the interim Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi. A US newspaper complained that former American "dictator", Paul Bremer, sneaked out of Iraq while hundreds of thousands US troops have to remain in the dangerous country. "Paul Bremer ran out Baghdad so fast, he didn't even wait for the new ambassador, John Negroponte, to arrive so he could pass along some safety tips", adding that Negroponte was assuming "the most perilous diplomatic post in the world." Bremer's feelings about returning home were: "Well, its like having a rather large weight lifted off my shoulders...I'm delighted to be back" for which the article said: "If only our soldiers could say the same." The newspaper also criticised US President George W. Bush: "The president acted as if Iraq was in control but our forces can't come home because Iraq's still out of control. American troops are still trapped in Iraq and being killed there, and 5,600 ex-soldiers are being involuntarily recalled in America's undeclared draft," the article said.

On June 29, 2004, the new American ambassador in Iraq, John Negroponte, presented his credentials to the Iraqi president, Sheikh Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar.

On June 29, 2004, the American flag was raised over the US embassy in Iraq for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War. Newly arrived US Ambassador Negroponte presented his credential to the Iraqi president.

- The British
The British embassy has been re-opened around May 10, 2003, in Baghdad although the old buildings need repairs and in the meantime the British envoy is working and living in temporary accommodations on the Embassy ground. He will become ambassador when an Iraqi government is formed.

On May 15, 2003, the British let local people run again the town of Umm Qasr. Fifteen volunteers will run it until elections have taken place possibly next week. It is the first town back under Iraq administration.

Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the previous British Ambassador to the UN is to become the unofficial ambassador to Iraq according to the British media on June 17, 2003. Fluent in Arabic, Sir Jeremy has been asked to postpone his retirement. He is replacing John Sawers who is moving back to London after the recall of the retired US general Jay Garner, the first head of the post-war administration. Sir Jeremy will serve under the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer. His British deputy will be David Richmond, a senior diplomat now in Brussels. Andy Bearpark, an expert in reconstruction work, will replace major General Tim Cross.

British and American officials in the Iraqi provisional government have asked Britain not to send back thousand of Iraqi asylum seekers as the country, and its provisional administration, are not ready to receive and deal with them as they are facing more important problems.

On July 24, 2003, the Foreign Office held a press conference together with three leaders of the Iraq leadership council -lead by Adnan Pachachi- in visit to London. The Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, although not expected was there too. Most of the questions asked by the journalists present were directed to him and related to how Dr Kelly's name was made public. Hoon refused to answer and the meeting was closed after 15 minutes. Not a good day for Hoon.

On January 5, 2004, British Foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said that British troops would probably stay in Iraq until 2007 to oversee the country "rehabilitation". And before they said they came as liberators!

On April 28, 2004, BP's chief executive, John Browne, changed his mind and said that oil companies have no future in Iraq and that his firm has given up going to work their due to the political and insecurity conditions.

On May 25, 2004, in his usual press conference Tony Blair said that the interim government that will be nominated on June 30 would have full power and Iraq full sovereignty. This Iraqi government will have, according to him, the right to veto any military operations planned by the coalition troops that it does not like (for instance the killing spree in Falluja). Later on, we were told that what Blair said applies only to British troops and not necessarily to the American forces. This goes much farther that President Bush is saying. He still is for limited Iraqi sovereignty even if he says the opposite.

- The Iraqis
On May 3, 2003, the Shia majority in Iraq have taken control of the streets and are running every aspects of life, while the USA and their Iraqi allies discuss the country's future. In other words the Shia are filling the power vacuum that followed the defeat of the previous regime where they were discriminated by the Sunni minority. The Americans are not happy because there is a good probability that the future of Iraq will not be decided in the US-led talks among the approved opposition parties but by the Shia in their main seminary, the Hawza, located in Najaf where the main Shia clerics are teaching. The Americans say that they will not allow an Islamic regime to rule over Iraq but if the Shia decide to go that way it will be difficult to prevent it. However their division is an important point in favour of the USA.

At the beginning of May 2003, it is clear that there has been an explosion of democracy in Baghdad after Saddam's fall, political parties (including the communist's) are now working in the open and are organizing their headquarters. However the US military troops are still running the country and they are not doing a good job. There is still complete chaos in the main cities, looting goes on, hospitals have no or little medicine, running water and food are rare, the streets are dirty and the only security is given by the religious organizations while the US soldiers are still killing civilians everyday.

On May 5, 2003, the US has appointed five Iraqis to form the nucleus of the provisional government but none are from the main political and religious groups of the country. Three of them are Iraqi exiles and two are Kurdish leaders. It is expected that four more local leaders will join them. The five men are:
- Ahmad Chalabi, the head of the Iraqi national Congress.
- Iyad Allawi of the Iraqi national Accord.
- Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.
- Masoud Barzani, Kurd.
- Jalal Talabani, Kurd.
If this is a representative and democratic way of running the country the Americans will have difficulties to convince anybody outside their own country.

On May 9, 2003, it was revealed that there are a rather large number of cholera cases in Basra and in other parts of Iraq and that a nation-wide epidemic is possible. This is due to the poor state of the Iraqi hospital following looting, post-Saddam power struggles and the failure of the US, Britain and aid agencies to provide medicines and equipments. The breaking down of the sewage system and the lack of electricity and drinking water are also important factors. People are in fact drinking water from rivers contaminated by sewage. In addition the UN says that Iraqis are in danger of starvation in the near future due to agriculture and poultry production collapses. Government warehouses that supply seeds, fertilisers and pesticides have been looted more or less everywhere and fruits and vegetables production could be very limited.

On May 10, 2003, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq's largest Shia group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution, returned home from 23 years of exile in Iran. Thousand of people greeted him at the border near Basra and 100,000 listened to him in the local stadium.

ON May 11, 2003, the newly appointed health minister, Dr Ali Shnan al-Janabi, had to resign amid mounting criticism over his career as a senior Ba'ath party official. This is another embarrassment for the US who chose him as the first minister in the post-Saddam government. It is believed that a committee on which doctors, nurses and hospital staff will be represented will now run the health ministry.

On May 11, 2003, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq's largest Shia group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), was talking in Basra before going to Najaf. He wants Iraq to become an Islamic state but not an "extremist Islam". He also asked the Americans and the British to leave Iraq immediately. The US does not like him due to his links with Iran. SCIRI has a 15,000-strong militia in Baghdad but its rival Sadr group led by Moqtada Sadr has the biggest following among the Iraqi Shia. On May 12, thousand of Shia Muslims were in the Holiest Shia Mosque in Najaf to listen to Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim claiming a role in defining the country's political future. He also repeated his plea to the Americans and the British to leave Iraq immediately as he wants Iraqi to run their country as they wish.

On May 15, 2003, Paul Bremmer, a former us diplomat, arrived in Baghdad to replace Jay Garner as head of the temporary administration. He is based in Saddam's former Republican palace. Bremmer said that he would clear out former Ba'ath party officials from the new government. On May 16, the US authorities in Baghdad said that up to 30,000 Iraqi Ba'ath party members would be banned from taking part in the new government even if this will make it very difficult to find qualified staff to run the ministries and other authorities.

On May 19, 2003, two gunmen have killed Daoud al-Qaisy, a senior Ba'ath party member who often appeared on Iraqi television in uniform singing anthems praising Saddam Hussein. It is considered as a revenge killing. Other similar killings have occurred in other areas. In Baghdad's Shia district, a Baathist and some members of his family were killed. Also on May 19, about 10,000 Shia protesters, followers of the most hard-line Shia clerics, marched to the Kadhimiya mosque in Baghdad in the biggest demonstration so far against the American forces. They criticised the lack of security, the shortage of electricity and the slow pace of reconstruction. Graffiti are now common in Baghdad threatening attacks on American soldiers.

Baghdad's most powerful cleric, Sheikh Mohammed al-Fatousi, said on May 20, 2003, that he would use a "hand of iron" to impose an extreme vision of Islam that would challenge the Americans' secular proposals for the Iraqi government. He would enforce a fatwa that bans alcohol, obliges women to wear veils and order cinemas to close. Fatousi has a large popular support and about 1,000 former soldiers under his control. He added that Baghdad's large Christian community should also follow his command. Many Iraqi will not be happy as they used to live in a secular regime under Saddam. He also blamed the Americans for doing very little in the six weeks since they took control and he asked them to follow their promises, leave the government to the Iraqi people and leave the country.

On June 8, 2003, a regional French newspaper, "L'Alsace", tried to answer the following question: "Two months after the fall of Baghdad on April 9, 2003, what is the situation in Iraq?"
- Who hold the power? At the beginning of May 2003, President Bush named Paul Bremer chief administrator. Bremer is, of course, a right wing and a proponent of a hard line.
- When will there be an Iraqi government? First a council of seven members, chosen by the Americans, was charged to organise a National Congress to choose the members of the interim administration. Changing their mind the USA want to create a Political Council of 25 to 30 members that would "advise" the occupying forces in the economic and political fields. They will nominate advisers in each ministry that would, later on, become interim ministers. They will also organise a referendum on a new constitution written by an assembly foreseen for the coming summer. Free elections could take place within 2 years. The council of seven members that includes representatives from the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution, two Kurdish parties, the Iraqi National Council of Mr Chalabi, the Shiite party al Dawa, the National "Entente" Party and a Sunnite Arab, all of them refuse to have Iraqi being at the "American service" and insist to create a National Congress.
- Who pays the salaries? Until now the salaries of the state employees are paid from the Iraqi money frozen in the USA ($1.7bn) and the money found by the US forces in Iraq and other money frozen in different countries ($1bn). The higher salaries have been reduced and the lower ones increased; the ex-soldiers and employees of the Ba'ath party are not paid. In the meantime the PNB by head has decreased already from $3,600 to $1,200.
- What is left of Saddam Hussein's regime? Jay garner, the first US chief administrator, let the state employees -even those who were members of the Ba'ath party- go on with their work. His successor, Paul Bremer, on the contrary wants to fire all old party members (from 15 to 30,000 people) and he dissolved the army (360,000 soldiers).
- What is the security now in Iraq? The situation is improving but is still very poor in Baghdad and in the north of the country. Violence and looting are still the rule in Baghdad and many people are wounded by gunshots everyday. Guns are forbidden but they are found for sale everywhere and the policemen are disarmed. It is not much better in the other big cities like Basra where the British troops are accused to do nothing to improve the security.
- What is the humanitarian situation? Luckily there was no humanitarian crisis but, according to the UN, still about two third of the Iraqi are still relying on aid. However due to the confusion it is not possible to evaluate with accuracy the economic and social condition of the country but the poverty is worse that expected and the number of malnourished children had doubled since the end of the war.
- Does the anti-Americanism increase? There is no doubt about it. Frustration is generalised and the calls for the occupation forces to leave Iraq are increasing, from the Shiite community that the Americans would like to marginalize but also from the Sunnites that are kept away from power. In some towns like Falluja the population is definitely anti-America and many US soldiers were killed. The responsible are often ex-Iraqi soldiers who are left without salaries and resources.
- How strong is the American presence? Due to the anarchy the Americans will have to increase the number of their soldiers especially north and west of Baghdad. The Americans now have about 147,000 soldiers in Iraq and the British 15,000. Twenty more thousand Americans are expected and their presence in Iraq could last from three to ten years.
- And the United nations? The UN Security Council has lifted the sanctions against Iraq and has a special envoy in Baghdad, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The humanitarian agencies of the UN are in Iraq and do a useful job.
- Have any weapons of mass destruction been found? The answer to this is simple: until now, no such weapons have been found despite the large number of American, British and Australian experts involved in the search since the end of the war.
- Does petrol is now exported from Iraq? All the installations are now in American and British hands but the activity is slow to start again. It is expected that about one million of barils per day in June, most of it being exported. Before the war the production was about three millions barrels a day. It is already clear that the sale of petrol alone will not be enough to cover the reconstruction cost estimated now to $200bn from now to 2013.
- Which contracts have been signed? The UN Security Council Resolution 1483 created a fund for the development of Iraq placed managed by the Iraqi Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World bank. For the moment it is the American International Agency for the development (USAID) that gives the contracts. The amount available is $2.4bn and eight contracts have been concluded, all with American firms. The biggest one is with Bechtel ($680m) for the reconstruction of the harbours. Some Kuwaiti firms have also got some smaller contracts and the British are hopeful … French firms are also involved through their American subsidiaries.
- What is the cost of the war at that stage? During the 26 days war 118 American soldiers died as well as 12 British. Among the Iraqi the number is unknown but evaluated at between 20 and 30,000 dead, militaries, paramilitaries and civilians included. From March 20 to April 18, 2003, 1801 planes dropped 29,199 bombs, 9,251 non-guided. £1.8 millions of tracts were thrown over the country to invite the civilians and the militaries to stop helping Saddam Hussein.

On June 18, 2003, the former Iraqi soldiers and civil servants now unemployed should have received the equivalent of $50 emergency payment. The money was not there so the crowd gathered in front of the building of the US-led authority to protest. Stones were throw at some US soldiers who shot back killing two Iraqi and wounding a few others. Later on an American soldier was shot dead and another wounded. And this kind of incidents occur more or less everyday in Iraq since Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed 10 weeks ago with 50 American soldiers killed in this period, one a day lately and one cannot see an end to it. The country is still much insecure, the electricity is cut most of the time and the salaries are not paid with the result that the Americans are hated more every day. On the other hand, the US troops are entering the city looking for Baath's followers; many are arrested, badly treated and quite often, killed. The ordinary Iraqi thought that the Americans were coming to give them democracy and freedom, but the opposite is true and, if this go on, they will suffer too. The Iraqi have the right to resist the invaders, to refuse to collaborate, and it will most certainly continue until the US and Britain withdraw.

Iraq's post war administration announced on June 23, 2003, the creation of a new Iraqi army and to pay-off members of the old one disbanded on May 23. They will receive between $30 and $150 a month. The aim is to recruit 12,000 soldiers this year; the armed forces will have no more than 40,000 soldiers.

The Guardian's editorial on June 30, 2003, said that Bush and Blair promised justice in Iraq but it looks more and more everyday that this is another lie similar to the weapons of mass destruction. In the post-war reality justice is arbitrary and made more so by the chaos that reign in Iraq. Guerrilla warfare goes on, Baghdad remains a looted and dangerous city where the "occupiers" cannot even provide electricity and water. These same occupiers refuse to see the problems the civilians have to live with, their evident failures or the scale of the opposition to it in Iraq and in a large part of the world. The Americans believe that they have the country under their thumb but this does not look like it at least yet. Like they did after the Afghan war, the USA will most probably hold many Iraqis indefinitely in prison like Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and Bagram in Afghanistan and, perhaps, secretly on the British island of Diego Garcia without giving them any rights as foreseen in the Geneva convention on the prisoners of war. This is the way the country that claims to be the champion of freedom and justice behave with non-US citizens.

Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's leading Shia cleric, condemned as fundamentally unacceptable, and issued a fatwa in this sense on July 1, 2003, the US plans presented by Mr Bremer to appoint, rather that elect, the Iraqis who will be drafting a new constitution for Iraq. He called for a general election followed by a referendum. Ayatollah Sistami is a moderate Shia Muslim based in Najaf. Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) also criticised Mr Bremer's plan. He wants a government formed of Iraqis and the end of occupation by peaceful means.

On July 8, 2003, we were told that Iraq will issue new banknotes on October 15 in order to increase fiscal transparency, improve business confidence and assist the economic reintegration of the Kurdish-controlled zone in northern Iraq that had its own currency since 1991. The new currency will be fully convertible into the dollar and other important currencies at market rate.

On July 8, 2003, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq that had until now refused to take part in the "Government Council" of Iraqi soon to be appointed by the Americans, changed their mind and decided to participate in it. This is an important move from the American point of view. This Council will write the new constitution and organise the elections for a truly Iraqi government. The Supreme Council was exiled to Iran for about 20 years. Until now they always said that this "Government Council" should be elected by the Iraqis and not appointed by the Americans. They were persuaded that the elections would take too long and that the Council would appoint interim Iraqi ministers, approve the budget, and represents Iraq internationally including at the Arab League. Six other groups will also be represented: the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Kurdish Democratic Party, the Iraqi national Congress, the Iraqi national Accord, the Islamic Dawa party, and the Association of Independent Democrats led by Adnan Pachachi. The new body will have legislative and executive functions and act as a collective head of state. The council will have a majority of Shia who are 60% of the population. The Communist party still refuses to participate.

On July 11, 2003, Iraq took the first step towards self-rule as the US-led authority is going to announce the creation of the country's first post-war war government. The "Governing Council" will comprise 25 members, 5 Kurds, 5 Sunni Arabs, one Christian, one Turkoman and 13 Shia Muslims. Its mandate will be include hiring and firing ministers, setting up a constitutional committee to write a new constitution, to introduce a new currency, set fiscal and budgetary policy and nominate ambassadors to foreign countries. However until "free and fair" national elections are held and the new constitution is ratified by an Iraqi elected parliament, the ultimate authority will remain with the US and British occupying powers. On July 21, the UN General Secretary, Mr Annan, approved the council even if its members were chosen by the US. He added that the UN will collaborate with it in the future.

Iraq's new governing council, a 25-members body appointed by the USA and Britain held their first meeting on July 13, 2003. It is the first step towards democracy in Iraq even if Mr Paul Bremer still can overrule its decisions. It took two months of negotiation to arrive at this point. The Council is headed by the moderate Shia cleric, Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum that was living in exile in Britain until a few weeks ago. It includes 13 Shia Muslims, 5 Kurds, 5 Sunni Muslims, one Christian and one Turkmen. Mr al-Uloum said that the council had real power and was ready to use them. He also said that Paul Bremer would not use his veto, that negotiation would solve the differences.

On July 15, 2003, one of the parties in the new power-sharing council, the Iraqi National Congress, said that Saddam Hussein and his key lieutenants, if caught, will face a war crimes court. A judicial commission chaired by judge Dara Nor al Din, a member of the Iraqi new governing council, has been appointed. If all goes well a new constitution and free elections could be in place next year according to John Sawers, the British senior representative in Iraq.

On July 17, 2003, we were told that a pool revealed that the majority of the Baghdad residents want the US and British troops to stay in their country for at least one year (31% wanted the troops to stay a few years and 25% about one year while only 13% said that the should leave now). Half of the people interviewed (798) said that the invasion was justified. Of course, one must believe that the people of the occupied country told the truth to the occupiers.

According to The Guardian (July 31, 20023) the Shia in the south of Iraq are becoming very unhappy with the situation in their country. About 10,000 young men are said to have joined a so-called "Islamic Army" organised by the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf. Sadr is trying to become the main leader of the Shia opposition. He denounced the US-appointed governing council as a puppet. The Shia opposition to the US and British forces in the south remains peaceful but there are signs that this could change for the worst. It is not clear what kind of army Mr Sadr wants and if he has weapons but his influence is growing.

The first exiles came back to Iraq on July 30, 2003. Five UN buses with 240 people drove them to Basra from Saudi Arabia where they had been since the 1991 war. They were greeted at their arrival by their relatives. The UN hopes to be able to bring back 3,000 exiles from Saudi Arabia before the end of the year. However, because of security problems in Iraq, the UN is prudent and does not encourage exiles to come back home yet.

On August 4, 2003, it became clear who among the Iraqi civilians would be able to ask for compensation from the USA for death or damage caused by the occupying forces. In clear money will be paid when it is shown that soldiers had acted wrongfully or negligently during non-combat activities. This would exclude any claim for any act that occurred before May 1 as well as those for civilians killed at checkpoint also after that date. Until now the US has received 2,400 claims and has paid $262,000, obviously the amount is paid at local rate as the life of a foreigner, in this case, any Iraqi, is worth much less than an American.

On August 29, 2003, Iraq's governing council said that they will announce the names of the first ministers in the next few days. This is an important step towards the creation of the Iraqi government that will have 25 ministers.

A senior Iraqi, Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum, left the governing council on August 31, 2003, as a protest at the lack of security in Iraq as shown in the bombing of the main mosque in Najaf. Many Iraqi were arrested in Najaf in relation to the bombing and some reports said that Saudi Arabia citizens were also arrested but this information has not yet been confirmed. Some, if not all the suspects are said to have links with al-Qaida.

On September 1, 2003, Iraq's governing council announced the formation of a council of ministers formed of 25 members divided into ethnic and religious quotas: 13 Shia, 5 Sunni, 5 Kurds, one Turkoman and one Assyrian Christian.

On September 3, 2003, the newly appointed Iraqi Interior minister is creating an anti-terrorist paramilitary force to try to improve security in the country. The force should be operative in the next three months and it will be 7 to 10,000 strong. It will include members of the former Iraqi army. This force will come in addition to the police that has already 37,000 members and should reach 75,000 in the near future.

On September 20, 2003, the leading woman member of the Iraqi's Governing Council, Aquila al-Hashimi, was shot and seriously wounded in front of her house in West Baghdad. Hashimi is a Shia Muslim from Najaf and a former diplomat. She is one of three women on the council although she was a member of the Ba'ath party. She was preparing to leave for New York as part of the Iraqi delegation to the UN General Assembly. Some members of the council are now suggesting that the American soldiers should leave the cities and let the Iraqis take care of the security.

On September 21, 2003, the members of the Iraqi's governing council said that they were personally increasingly at risk from attacks. They called for an improvement in the security in Baghdad and in all the country. This, however, the Americans are not obviously able to do. Aqila al-Hashmi, is still in critical condition in a Baghdad's hospital after being shot on September 20. She is still unconscious.

On September 21, 2003, the Iraqi Finance Minister, Kamil Mubdir al-Gailani, announced investment laws to give foreign companies access to the nationalised Iraqi firms soon to be sold. Foreign firms would now be able to wholly own Iraqi firms except in the oil, gas and mineral industries. Corporate tax will be set at 15%. The most valuable contracts have already been given to US firms such as Kellog, Brown and Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton), Bechtel, etc.

On September 22, 2003, the Iraq's governing council said that they would take action against al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya televisions for "incitement to violence in the reporting on Iraq. The two channels could possibly be expelled for a limited amount of time. On September 23, they were banned to from government offices and news conference and accused of broadcasting "poison" by encouraging violence against the US forces and Iraqi officials and of promoting sectarian divisions.

On September 25, 2003, Aqila al-Hashimi, the member of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council who was shot five days ago died in an American hospital. It is obvious that Iraqis working with the US government are at risk. At the same time, attacks on US military installations in Iraq occur everyday. A bomb exploded outside a hotel used by the US television network NBC. It killed a Somali guard and wounded two other people included one Canadian sound engineer working for NBC. Also the same days eight US soldiers were wounded -three badly- in Mosul when their convoy was attacked by road site bombs. The soldiers who killed eight Iraqi policemen in Falluja have been cleared of wrongdoing!! Also a British Territorial Army soldier, Sergeant John Nightingale, died in a gun accident in Shaiba near Basra.

On September 29, 2003, following Colin Powell's declaration that Iraq must have a new constitution within 6 months, a new comity is at work and should give its preliminary report to the Iraqi Governing Council tomorrow. One of its members, Jalaladin al-Sagher, a religious Shia escaped an attempt to kill him yesterday. The constitution will have to be ratified before a government can be elected.

On October 17, 2003, it is becoming clear that the Iraqi governing Council, and above all its Kurdish members, with veto the arrival of 10,000 Turk soldiers. The Kurds are afraid that Ankara will take the opportunity to destroy the Kurd military forces and political parties to stop them asking and getting any type of independence that could involve the 14 million Kurd living in Turkey. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan took note of the Iraqi opposition to accept Turkish troops and withdraw his proposal to send 10,000 soldiers.

On October 28, 2003, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, Dr Mahmoud Osman, asked the Americans to hand over to the Iraqis the responsibility for internal security of Iraq that, he said, could do a better job of it than the Americans. On the same day a car bomb exploded outside a power station in Falluja killing at least four people including two children and injuring six. In Baghdad a rocket-propelled grenade killed an US soldier and wounded six others while in Basra a British soldier was wounded. In addition five explosions were heard in Baghdad's Jadriyah district, the deputy mayor of Baghdad, Faris al-Assam, was killed, and in Mosul a newspaper editor, Ahmed Shawkat, was shot dead. Bush warned Syria and Iran not to let terrorists move to Iraq after a Syrian was captured trying to blow a police station in eastern Baghdad on October 27 while a string of suicide car bombs killed 34 Iraqis and two US soldiers and wounding 264 people.

On November 26, 2003, one of the most senior Shia clerics, Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, criticised the US plan to have a provisional Iraqi government elected by various caucus. He insists that this government should be elected by direct ballot to reflect the Shia majority.

The Iraqi Governing Council is leaning towards agreeing with the demands of senior members of the Shiite clergy that full elections and not only caucuses will choose the members of a interim government in June 2004. This will not be easy and there are some doubts to organise national elections by that date. Any delay would be a setback for the USA. The Iraqi Governing Council does not intend to dissolve itself after an interim government would be in power.

On December 1, 2003, the Iraqi Governing Council has a new president, Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, a Shiite Muslim. He is known for opposing the US plan to have the provisional government of Iraq elected by caucuses. The Iraqi Governing Council has a monthly rotating presidency.

On December 2, 2003, one of the four three-stories high statues of Saddam Hussein was taken down from the Republican Palace, now the home of Paul Bremmer, the US administrator of Iraq. The other will soon be taken down too, one will be symbolically destroyed and the other three given to the Iraqi authorities.

On December 8, 2003, Salama al-Khufaji, a Shiite Muslim professor of dentistry at Baghdad University, was chosen to replace Aquila al-Hashimi, the woman member who was shot dead in September, on the 25-seat Iraqi Governing Council.

On December 16, 2003, the member of the US appointed Iraqi Governing Council, foreign minister Zebari, accused the UN Security Council that the UN had failed to rescue his country from 35 years of Saddam's regime. He urged the UN not to fail Iraq in the future and help building a democracy there. Secretary General Kofi Annan answered that the UN must first know what the Iraqis and the Coalition expect from his organisation.

By the mid- December 2003 it was clear to everybody, even to the Americans, that the Iraqi Governing Council appointed by the USA was doing a poor job. Its 25 members could even agree on the name of a president so they adopted a one-month rotating system. It is true that it has appointed ministers and heads of government agencies, it created a war crime tribunal and kept Turkish troops out of Iraq against the wishes of the Americans. But the Council has also been accused of nepotism, cronyism, and corruption (such as giving the mobile phone licence to a consortium linked to Ahmed Chalabi, an important council member, nominating children and relatives to important positions). Even the US-led Coalition Authority is disenchanted with it and decided to replace it in May 2004 by a 250-member body that will write a new constitution and organise popular elections in 2005. If this new body will be more efficient is to be seen. Most members are former exiles who lived outside Iraq during Saddam Hussein regime and they are unknown and unpopular in Iraq. The Iraqis see them as America's puppets. The Council is composed of 25 members -22 men, 3 women representing Iraq's ethnic and religious fractions. There are 13 Shiites, 5 Sunnis, 5 Kurds, one Turkmen and one Christian. Its most criticised members are:
- Ahmed Chalabi is a wealthy Shiite banker who left Iraq in 1956 to live mainly in Britain and the USA; the founder of the Iraqi National Congress, he worked once for the CIA to help them overthrow Saddam Hussein but fell out with it and the State Department because he exaggerated the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. He spent most of his life outside Iraq and was convicted in Jordan of a $300m fraud in a bank collapse. He is backed by Donald Rumsfeld to become Iraq's first president.
- Abdel Azia al-Hakim, a Shiite, spent 23 years in exile, he is a leader of the Iranian-based Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. He wants the transitional assembly to be formed by June 2004 to be elected by the people and not selected by regional caucus.
- Massoud Barzani, a Sunni Kurd and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Threatened to leave the Council if Turkish troops were allowed in Iraq.
- Adman Pachachi, a Sunni formerly Iraq's UN Ambassador and Foreign Minister in the government deposed by the Ba'ath party in 198. He spent 32 years in exile in the United Arab Emirates. He founded the Independent Democratic Movement that is backing a secular, democratic government
- Iyad Allawi, a Shiite doctor and former Ba'ath party member. He went in exile to London in the 70s and formed the Iraqi National Accord.

On December 21, 2003, some members of the Iraqi Governing Council asked the United Arab Emirates to extradite Saddam Hussein's former Information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf also known as "Comical Ali", to Iraq although he was not on the American list of the 55 most wanted Iraqis. They want him on charges that he caused unnecessary civilian deaths by misleading the public.

On December 21, 2003, members of the Iraq Governing Council visited Damascus, Syria. Its president, Bashar Assad said that he was prepared to sign an agreement with Baghdad to improve security along their common border and to prevent terrorists from crossing into Iraq.

On December 22, 2003, the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said in Rome that after the US-led provisional authority transfers power to Iraq next year, the Baghdad government will not discriminate against any country wanting to help reconstruct Iraq even if they are not part of the coalition.

On December 23, 2003, an Arab League delegate, assistant Secretary-General Ahmed bin Heli, met the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani. The Ayatollah expressed "willingness" for the league, which opposes the US occupation, to play a role in the transition to democracy.

On January 10, 2004, the Iraqi Governing Council unveiled the first new set of Iraqi stamps to be put on sale since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. They are the first without Saddam Hussein's picture on them.

On January 11, 2004, it became known that about 28,000 more ex-Baathists would loose their jobs in the public sector in the next few weeks according to the Iraqi Governing Council. Previously between 15 and 30,000 were already dismissed by Paul Bremmer. However this time they will be able to appeal the decisions.

On January 11, 2004, Iraqi Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini Sistani, demanded that the next parliament be elected and not chosen by local caucuses are planned by the US authorities in Iraq in view of the decision returning sovereignty to the Iraqis on July 1, 2004. Sistani was already able to change their transition plans before. On January 12, it seems that the US government is responding to Sistani by revising its plans. Now the USA suggest that the caucuses be open to more people and that their deliberations should be more transparent. Will it be enough?

On February 17, 2004, Kurdish leaders in their autonomous area of Iraq refused to disband their military forces, the peshmerga, and are vetoing the deployment of Iraqi troops in their region. The Kurds are proposing that the 50/60,000 fighters controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic party should be transformed into a regional self-defence force similar to the US National Guard. They believe that this is the only way to insure security in the Kurd region. They also want the new constitution to allow for a federal state under which the Kurds will retain the powers of self-rule that they have had for the last 13 years. The Sunni and Shia leaders disagree as well as Turkey, Iran and Syria. The British and US officials reacted negatively too to these requests.

On March 1, 2004, after very long talks and arguments, the US appointed Iraqi Governing Council finally adopted an interim constitution that will last until a permanent one is adopted by the future elected parliament. Islam will be the official religion of Iraq but it will be only "a main" source for legislation and not "the main" source. There will also be freedom of religion and speech. The main points are:
- Elections are to be held by late 2004 or early 2005.
- The government will be republican, democratic and pluralist.
- Women will have at least 25% of the seats in the transitional parliament.
- There will be an independent judiciary.
- The president will have two deputies but the executive power will rest on the prime minister.
- Islam is the official religion.
- Personal, political and religious freedoms are guaranteed.
- Arabic and Kurd are the official languages.
- Kurds retains control of existing self-rule areas.

The provisional Iraqi constitution should have been signed on March 5, 2004. However five Shia members of the Iraqi Governing Council raised last-minutes objections although all 25 members of the council had agreed it on March 1 after long and difficult discussions. It is believed that it is Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani refuses to approve the present text and more precisely the articles that seem to give veto power to the Kurds and Sunnis in the redaction of the future permanent constitution as well as the lack of details about who will govern Iraq between July 1 and the elections foreseen for the end of 2004 or the beginning of 2005. On March 6 President Bush said that this new constitution is good although the Shia still oppose it. Discussions are still going on in the Iraqi Governing Council to rescue it. There are still strong divisions in the Council but it looks like it will be approved soon. The provisional constitution gives a veto if any two-third of voters in any three provinces in the referendum for the permanent constitution rejected it. The Shiites believe that the Kurds -400,000 for a total Iraqi population of 24 millions- are given unfair advantages. Moreover the Shiites changed their mind and now oppose the single presidency (with two deputy) in favour of a five persons rotating presidency formed of three Shia, one Sunni and one Kurd. In the end the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani hold the key to an agreement. After many more discussions, the interim constitution was signed on March 8 without modifications.

The 25 members of the Iraqi Governing Council finally signed the interim constitution on March 8, 2004, after months of discussions. Hours later the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani repeated that he was not happy with it, as his objections have not been taken into consideration. The future will tell what he will do about it. This compromise between the different ethnic groups is the first step to allow sovereignty to be transferred to Iraq on June 30 and full independence before the end of 2005. The form and composition of the interim government that will take over on June 30 has still to be decided. The Kurds took to the streets in Kirkuk after the signing of the interim constitution that they view as a victory although it is not the final one.

On March 27, 2004, The Guardian said that the USA will transfer power in Iraq to a handpicked prime minister. They have in fact changed their plans to increase the size of the current 25-members Governing Council. This is the third change in the US strategy in the last six months. They are now looking for an Iraqi to become chief executive, probably a secular technocrat Shia Muslim. The plan to have a three-man presidency -one Shia, one Sunni and one Kurd- are still alive but its power would be more symbolic that real. The interim government will remain in power until direct elections for a national assembly are held before the end of the year or early 2005. What is certain is that the American plan to held caucuses of regional notables is dead.

On April 7, 2004, the leading Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a moderate, refused to condemn al-Sadr's uprising. He condemned the methods used by the coalition forces. The Iraqi Governing Council took his side by asking the Americans not to make the crisis worse by using excessive force.

On April 8, 2004, the Iraqi interior minister, Nouri Badran, resigned because he cannot accept that religious groups influence the police. There will be a two-days religious Shia festival in Kerbala starting on April 10 when hundreds of thousands pilgrims are expected to participate. Paul Bremer warned that there could be heavy incidents such as bomb attacks. The Sunni resistance and the massacre of civilians by the Americans have shifted support of the Iraqi moderate from the Americans to the religious Shia and Sunni radical groups.

On April 9, 2004, about 200,000 Iraqis, many of them Shia, assembled in the compound of a Sunni Mosque in Baghdad. They were protesting against the American occupation of their country, to express their solidarity to the people in Falluja as well as their support for the uprising led by the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. It was the first time so many Shia and Sunni Muslims demonstrated together. Would this means that the risk of civil war between Sunni and Shia, as described by the USA, does not exist? They complained that the democracy promised by the USA was not to be seen anywhere in Iraq. Instead the Americans brought terror, blood and pain, and censorship (of a Shia weekly newspaper).

On April 14, 2004, the US authorities in Iraq, following British advices, are ready to appoint a large number of former senior Iraqi officers to top jobs in the security forces. These Iraqi forces refused to fight in Falluja saying that their job is to defend the country not to kill fellow Iraqis. The USA has already trained 200,000 Iraqi police, border guards, civil defence corps personnel, and soldiers. The Iraqi army should have about 40,000 soldiers.

On April 22, 2004, the US authorities in Baghdad started allowing the hiring former Ba'ath party members and ex-senior army officers. This is a complete U-turn in the American policy in the country. This seems the result of the UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's criticisms of Mr Bremmer former decisions.

Finally, on April 24, 2004, the Americans realised that Ahmad Chalabi, the ex-exile and Pentagon protégé Iraqi, was a sham. As leader of the Iraqi national Congress his did his best to be chosen by the Americans as the head of the next government in Iraq. They did not see that before the invasion he was feeding them wrong information on his country. His description of the weapons of mass destruction owned by Saddam Hussein and the affirmation that the US soldiers would be greeted with flowers and kisses pleased the Pentagon and the vice-president Dick Cheney. There was only one problem as it is obvious now: he was lying. His party receives $300,000 a month from the Americans and to live up to his reputation most of it was used to finance inappropriate actions such as lobbying on his behalf in the USA.

The main problem on April 24, 2004, is to choose the members of the future Iraqi interim government that will "take over power" on July 1. All the Iraqi fractions must be represented and the Shia leader, grand Ayatollah al-Sistani, must also accept it. But as the American soldiers will stay there and have a veto on all decisions taken by the interim government, its authority will be very limited if it has any at all.

It became obvious on April 26, 2004, that the reconstruction work in Iraq is off track due to the increasing insecurity in the country. Some contractors have sent their foreign staff home and some others are keeping low in safe places. The electricity and the water networks could be badly affected and be again unable to meet the demand this summer when the request will reach its highest. More troubles will follow.

On April 28, 2004, the Iraqi Governing Council presented a new national flag. It was already burned in the streets of some cities.

On April 29, 2004, a survey made in Iraq showed that the Iraqis are divided on which government they want, they only agree that they do not want anything like the USA and Britain's. The Iraqis admit that they are better off now that under Saddam Hussein but they also say that much remains to be done and to do this the sooner the coalition leave their country, the better. They do not think much about the UN either.

The current head of the Iraqi Governing Council was killed in a suicide car bombing near a checkpoint outside the coalition headquarters in central Baghdad on Monday May 17, 2004, dealing a blow to US efforts to stabilize Iraq ahead of a handover of sovereignty on June 30. The moderate Shia Abdul-Zahra Othman, also known as Izzadine Salim during the Saddam Husain's years, was the second and highest-ranking member of the US-appointed council to be assassinated. He was among eleven Iraqis -including his driver and bodyguards and the bomber- who were killed, Iraqi officials said. A suicide bomber was responsible. A previously unknown group, the Arab Resistance Movement, said in a Web site posting that two of its fighters carried out the operation against "the traitor and mercenary" Salim. The car bomb had the "classic" hallmarks of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Kimmitt said, but he acknowledged that the group's claim of responsibility meant that US authorities will have to investigate further before pointing responsibility. Othman had spent 25 years in exile mainly in Iran. In fact the group -Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, Monotheism and jihad group- led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on May 19 claimed responsibility for the killing.

On May 20, 2004, the former Pentagon protégé, Ahmad Chalabi the leader of the Iraqi National Congress, was humiliated when US officials and Iraqi police searched his private office and his own home. He is linked to a fraud inquiry. The police took computers, files and CD. Chalabi was the Pentagon and Vice president Dick Cheney's favourite to become the next leader of Iraq although he has no support in the country. While a banker he was convicted of fraud in Jordan in 1992 and condemned to 22 years in jail. On May 21, we were told that the reason for raiding Chalabi's office and home is an alleged corruption scandal in Iraq's finance ministry. Ahmad Chalabi, on the other hand, said that the raid was a reprisal for his criticisms of the US role in Iraq. We were also told that Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress received 439m from the US government. The Iraqi Governing Council's members supported Chalabi and said that the raid violated the law.

On Tuesday May 25, 2004, The Guardian is telling us that Washington is looking with urgency into the links between Ahmad Chalabi and Iran. The suspicion is that Iran manipulated the USA in invading Iraq feeding them wrong information through Chalabi. In this way Iran was probably looking for a revenge on their old enemy, Iraq, with the possibility to have a Shia-run Iraq. It is known that Chalabi was the main American source of information about the assumed Iraqi's weapons of mass destruction that justified the war. If this is true the White House and the president will have been really fooled and manipulated for years by Iran intelligence master-coup. Now the CIA said that they have strong evidence that Chalabi, with his intelligence chief Karim Habid (a Shia Kurd and paid Iranian agent for years), have passed US secrets to Tehran. Now the FBI investigates Chalabi's contacts in the Pentagon.

On May 29, 2004, it looks like there is an agreement on the interim Iraqi government. It was assumed that it would be the UN envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi who would make the choice but the Iraqi Governing Council was faster and chose the moderate laic Shiite Iyad Allawi as prime minister, the Sunni Adnan Pachachi as president, the Kurd Hoshiyar Zebari as defence minister, another Kurd Barham Salih as foreign minister, the only technocrat Thamir Ghadban to the oil ministry and the Shia Adel Abdul Mahdi at the finance ministry. It was believed that Brahimi wanted to choose technocrats only but now most of them are politicians linked to the USA, the CIA and MI5 as well as former exiles. They are not very representative of the Iraqi people and only the future will tell us if they will be accepted. It looks alike Brahimi and Paul Bremer decided to accept the Iraqi Governing Council's decision. On May 30 there were still some discussions on the name of the president but there seems to have been an agreement on the names of the main ministers. Mr Adnan Pachachi is not accepted by everybody and in particular by another candidate, Ghazi al-Yawer.

On June 1, 2004, George Bush congratulated the new Iraqi Prime minister Iyad Allawi (Shia) and the new president Ghazi al-Yaouar (Sunni). It is, of course, understandable as these two men and most of the ministers were former exiles who are linked to the USA. The prime minister even worked for the CIA. Will the Iraqis accept them? There are already some doubts as many attacks took place on their first day with many ordinary Iraqis being killed. The UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi should have chosen the members of the interim government but his influence was close to zero, the main choices, if not all, were made by the Iraqi Governing Council and the Americans. Even Kofi Annan expressed his reserves on the result. Even if he used a diplomatic language, it was quite clear that he was not happy at all. Now the coalition is hoping that their "coup d'Etat" will receive the benediction of a new UN Security Council resolution. To please France, Germany, China and Russia they already changed it a few times giving more power -but not all- to the interim government and saying that the coalition troops will leave Iraq at the latest in January 2006! Will this be enough to please the four countries mentioned before. On June 2 it became also clear that the interim government would control the Iraqi police and army. Colin Powell, on the other hand, said that the coalition forces will remain under full American control and will do what they please without asking authorisation to the interim Iraqi government.

On June 5, 2004, the new prime minister of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, asked the Americans, who told the UN Security Council, that their troops should remain in Iraq until the Iraqis are able to guarantee the security of the country. He also proposed a joint committee to coordinate the activities of the coalition forces.

On June 6, 2004, the interim Iraqi government is thinking of reintroduced the death penalty in Iraq; that punishment had been abolished after the fall of Saddam Hussein one year ago. It would be limited to some bad crimes.

On June 7, 2004, the interim prime minister of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, said that he had reached an agreement with nine militia for the disarmementent of their members and the incorporation of most of them in the police and the army. Unfortunately this does not include the followers of Moqtada al-Sadr or the rebels of Falluja.

On June 7, 2004, the Shiites seem to be ready to accept the interim government although they point out that its members have been chosen by the Americans and do not represent the Iraqi people. The Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani said that he will accept it only if it does the four following things:
- Obtain full Iraqi sovereignty from the UN and the coalition.
- Bring security to the country.
- Bring back the public services to all Iraqis.
- Prepare the elections and to hold them within January 2005.

On June 12, 2004, the deputy Foreign Minister was killed in.

On June 16, 2004, we were told that political and criminal kidnapping of children and adults in Iraq, but mainly in Baghdad, is increasing. Ransoms for children are ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. In the case of adults, the reasons behind the kidnapping are more often political and, as a result, more dangerous.

The Iraqi interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, presented his plans to strengthen and better organise the Iraqi armed forces to deal more efficiently with the insurgents. He added that the US would not have primacy over security matter after June 30. His government will probably takes emergency powers in part of the country while making sure to follow international laws and human rights. He also criticised the Americans for their latest bombing in Falluja that killed 22 civilians. Unlike the Americans who only want to kill the insurgents, Allawi wants to give amnesty to those who disarm. He also wants about 5,000 detainees including Saddam Hussein to be handed to his government. However to do all this he needs more international support, financial and military. He appealed especially to the other Arabic and Islamic nations as well as to NATO, France and Germany.

On June 23, 2004, Nato has been asked by the interim Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, for training and technical assistance. No troops were requested. This request will be discuss at the Nato meeting in Istanbul on June 26.

On June 23, 2004, Islamist militants have vowed to assassinate Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

On June 24, 2004, the Iraqi interim Government agreed that American troops in Iraq should remain immune from prosecution in local courts after the occupation officially ends.

On June 28, 2004, two days ahead of schedule, formal sovereignty was handed over to the interim Iraqi government by the American authorities in Iraq. The hand-over was secretly anticipated probably to avoid huge attacks on June 30. Paul Bremer handed legal papers to an Iraqi judge and then left the country. His time as chief administrator of Iraq is finished and the interim government was sworn in immediately after. What the independence will mean to Iraq is still unknown. After all, 160,000 foreign soldiers will remain there to help give some security to the country and the interim government was appointed by the USA, not elected. Let us hope things get better and not worse. President Bush, Prime Minister Blair and all the other heads of State and government present at the Istanbul Nato meeting were told the news immediately. On the note informing him (Mr President, Iraq is sovereign. Letter was passed from Brenmer at 10.26 am Iraq time. Signed Condi -Condoleezza Rice) Bush wrote "Let sovereignty reign!"

There was very little feasting in Iraq on June 28, 2004, after sovereignty was handed to the interim government. The people do not believe that they will see many changes soon with 160,000 soldiers still occupying their country. However most Iraqis see the event as a first step in the right direction but they are waiting for the elections to see any improvement. About 80% of the Iraqis want the foreign soldiers to patrol their cities according to a poll. They want them to be less visible, staying in their bases. At the same time 41% believe that Iraq would be safer if the foreign forces left Iraq while 32% would feel less safe. It is certain that the future elected government will ask the USA and Britain to pull their troops out of the country as the majority of Iraqis are saying that they will vote for the parties that will ask for this pull-out; 16% feel the opposite way.

On June 29, 2004, The Guardian said that export of Iraqi oil must increase three times if the government is to cope with unemployment, low living standards and debt burdens.

On June 29, 2004, Kurdish leaders in Iraq say that they are still seeking guarantees from the new interim government that it will uphold the right of Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq.

The early transfer of power to Iraq on June 28, 2004, has accelerated a downward trend in oil prices. Crude oil prices fell below $36 a barrel on June 29.

On June 30, 2004, the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Mahdi army, is still very popular among the Shia. They also resent the fact that the interim government's ministers were appointed by the Americans who, obviously, appointed their friends, mainly former exiles, who do not represent the Iraqi people.

- Problems with museum and antiquities
On May 5, 2003, the US Marines were saying that the officials of the Iraqi National Museum were not helping them in the search for the antiquities of Ancient Mesopotamia that were looted in the first days of the occupation of Baghdad. They forget to say that they did not do anything to prevent the looting even when they were on the spot and seeing it being done. The marines complain that the Museum officials have not yet provided them with a list of the museum's possessions that would allow establishing what was stolen. What they do not say is that the looters burned all the archives under their eyes.

On May 17, 2003, it was revealed that the American troops have "vandalised" the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. Ur is one of the greatest wonder of civilisation, probably the world's most ancient structure. Military personnel spray-painted walls with graffiti and stole kiln-backed bricks made thousand years ago. The site, 6,000 years old, is now off-limits to US troops. In addition the US forces are building an airfield and military base next to it adding to the problem. Ur is assumed to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham and the religious seat of the Sumer civilisation that ruled Mesopotamia from about 4,000 BC.

On June 12, 2003, the vase of Warka, one of the most treasured pieces looted after the war in Iraq was given back to the Baghdad Museum. The vase is said to be from the Sumerian period about 3,200BC.

On June 16, 2003, there was a new crisis at the Baghdad museum, home of many priceless artefacts, which were thought to have been looted after the fall of Baghdad. More than 130 of the 185 staff of the Iraq's state board of antiquities office, which run the museum, have signed a petition asking the directors to resign. They believe that some of the thefts were inside jobs. They also accused Dony George, the board's head of research of arming them and ordering them to fight the US forces. George admitted arming the staff but said that he did not order his men to fight the Americans but the looters. Previously he accused the Americans of failing to prevent the looting. He added that he believes that some directors were involved in the thefts. He said that he had been a member of the Ba'ath party, but not a senior one. The American investigated and cleared him. In the last few weeks many items including the golden treasures of Nimrud and the Sumerian vase of Warka have been returned.

On July 3, 2003, the Iraqi National Museum of antiquities was open for one day. The first visitors could again admire its treasures of Mesopotamian (for the Americans, this is the old name of the region) art that escaped destruction and looting after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. All this under the passive eyes of American soldiers nearby who did not anything to prevent it. Quite a few priceless items had been stolen but were returned on a "no questions asked amnesty". Among these was the 5-feet alabaster vessel from 3,000 BC known as the Warka Vase.

On July 8, 2003, an American Archaeologist, Elizabeth Stone, urged her the US troops to shoot the looters at many Iraqi archaeological sites of which there are about 10,000 registered.

On June 11, 2004, the American authorities in Iraq launched an inquiry after some Iraqi archaeologists complained that US-hired contractors have damaged the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon. We were also told that the site will soon be handed over to the Iraqis and that the US will pay for any damage. It is strange that the US forces that captured Babylon last year, kept it off limits to visitors without specific authorisation. The US forces say that their soldiers were based there to defend the site -one of the Seven Wonders of the World with its hanging gardens- from looters.

- Mass graves and atrocities of the old regime
On May 4, 2003, many mass graves are being discovered all over the country containing the corpses of Iraqis who had been killed by Saddam Hussein's regime. The victims are mainly Shia Muslims that were especially persecuted by the regime. The remains include those of many women and children. At the same time the Human Right Watch group is accusing the US and Britain of having used cluster bombs on civilian areas. Not only they do not remove the unexploded ones but also they refuse to tell where they dropped them. As a result many civilians are still being hurt and killed weeks after the war ended and this will last for a long period of time.

At the beginning of May 2003, more mass graves have been found in Iraq. In most of them it is believed that thousand of murdered Muslim Shia political prisoners, men, women and children, were buried after being killed after the Shia uprising in 1991 following the first Gulf War. Already hundred of bodies have been found at a site south of Baghdad. Local people and relatives of the victims are doing the digging on the site near Hilla, 60 miles south of Baghdad destroying most of the forensic evidences that would be necessary at a future trial of the people responsible for these crimes. It is believed that the remains of 3,000 people have already been found and there are many others. And as usual the American soldiers do nothing to protect the evidences.