The Hindu : Bush names Iraq administrator

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 08, 2003

International

International

Bush names Iraq administrator

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

The United States President, George W. Bush (right) with the longtime State Department official, Paul Bremer, at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. — AP

WASHINGTON MAY 7. The U.S. President, George W. Bush, has picked a former diplomat and counter-terrorism expert, Paul Bremer, to be his special representative in Iraq and in the process ending days of speculation of inter-agency `fight.'

Calling his pick as a man of enormous experience, Mr. Bush argued that Mr. Bremer "is a person who knows how to get things done, a can-do type of person." The special envoy will be reporting directly to the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. A White House statement has said that Tommy Franks will maintain command over coalition military forces in the theatre. The formal announcement on Mr. Bremer brings to a close a tug-of-war between the State Department and the Pentagon on who should proceed to Iraq and whether the person will be senior or only the second in command to Jay Garner.

The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, is said to have favoured a greater civilian control of the evolving scheme of things in Iraq but Mr. Rumsfeld had apparently been pushing for a higher profile for the Pentagon.

Under the new scheme of things, Mr. Bremer will oversee all political and reconstruction activity in Iraq and will be senior to Gen Garner. Mr. Bremer who has served six Secretaries of State in various capacities in his nearly three decades of diplomatic assignments was present in the Oval Office when Mr. Bush made the announcement. The former head of counter-terrorism is said to be widely acceptable in the political establishment for he has maintained a tough line against countries like Iran and Syria while heading the counter-terrorism outfit, thus keeping him out of trouble with the known hawks in this Republican administration. The Presidential envoy is expected to bring about an orderly transition and would be basically in charge until such time the local component of the government in Baghdad is firmly in place.

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