Excerpt http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/13/international/middleeast/13HAND.html?pagew anted=all&position= Iraqis Start to Exercise Power Even Before Date For Turnover New York Times by JEFFREY GETTLEMAN June 13, 2004
The process of making ministries autonomous began in March. But it seems to be a sprint to the finish, with ministries being turned over nearly every day now as United States officials take an increasingly low profile. There is no better evidence than Mr. Bremer's schedule in his final days. Mr. Bremer, a veteran diplomat who came to Baghdad more than a year ago and quickly patented the fad of wearing business suits and combat boots, has gone from signing orders and handing out decrees to dispensing advice and saying goodbyes. "I'm counting on you to give me your long-lost recipe for fesanjoon," Mr. Bremer said in a recent meeting with one of Iraq's new vice presidents, referring to a favorite local dish of chicken, pomegranate juice and walnuts. When the vice president, Ibrahim Jafari, promised he would, Mr. Bremer laughed and said, "Oh, yeah, I've heard it before - promises, promises." Mr. Bremer has been appearing in public much less. At the swearing-in of the new government, Mr. Bremer sat in the audience, in the second row. When it came time to announce the new militia policy last week, even though it was Mr. Bremer who essentially wrote the policy, it was Iyad Allawi, the new prime minister, who announced it. The goal, top American advisers said, is for Mr. Bremer's departure not to appear sudden but to be more of a measured retreat, a slow dissolve. "We want people to get used to the idea of him leaving," said one senior American official who asked that his name not be used. "Basically, we want Bremer to fade away." Some Iraqi politicians who have worked closely with Mr. Bremer said that behind the scenes he was still dominating. Raja al-Khuzai, a member of the governing council, the advisory body that was dissolved when the interim government was announced, said she had once counted herself among Mr. Bremer's friends. But last month, Dr. Khuzai said, Mr. Bremer alienated her when he intervened in a dispute over choosing the new Iraqi president. The council favored Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar; Mr. Bremer wanted Adnan Pachachi. According to Dr. Khuzai and other council members, when they gathered for a vote, Mr. Bremer stepped into the council chambers and told them he would not honor their choice. "He told us, `You do not represent the Iraqi people,'" Dr. Khuzai said. "I was shocked by this. Two members of this council have been murdered. All of us have received death threats. And Mr. Bremer told us we don't represent Iraqis." Mr. Bremer declined to be interviewed. As it happened, the council's candidate, Mr. Yawar, won the presidency. But for Dr. Khuzai, the hard feelings linger. "He used us, and now that he is finished with us, he will throw us away," Dr. Khuzai said. "I used to say I would cry when Mr. Bremer left Iraq. But not now. I will not miss him." Dexter Filkins and James Glanz contributed to this article.
