Iraqis creating council to oversee economy, security

[ECH1969]

Iraqi officials announced Sunday that they had agreed to form a council of the country's top politicians to make policy on security and economic issues in the new government.

The council, which will include the prime minister and president, is an attempt to include all the country's major factions in decision-making at a time of rising sectarian tensions. The 19-member body will essentially concentrate power in the hands of the country's political party leaders, and supersede the Cabinet and parliament in making broad decisions.

The move is a step forward in the snail-paced negotiations over the formation of a full, four-year government. Debate over creating what is being described as the national security council, and what powers it would wield, had contributed to the deadlock in the talks.

The main Shiite political bloc, which is expected to hold the most executive power in the new government, had opposed formation of the council, while the Kurds, Sunni Arabs, secular politicians and U.S. officials had pushed for it.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/3734455.html

[Teaser]

1. The shiites essentially neutered the council, unfortunately...

by giving themselves veto power over any of its decisions and relegating it to an advisory role. Not that I blame them entirely. If I had won the elections and saw other groups essentially trying to replace my cabinet with a shadow cabinet, I wouldn't be too cooperative either.

[bemildred]

2. Oh good! A study group.

The problem in Iraq is that the so-called governement has no means to impose it's will. Re-drawing the org-chart will just further emphasize that impotence, as the continual inability of the government to do anything useful for its citizens does here in the USA.