U.S. Official Tells Iraqis To Assert More Authority

Iraqi officials described a tense meeting between L. Paul Bremer III and the Iraqi Governing Council. Mr. Bremer, they said, demanded that the 25-member Council exert more authority, condemn the bombing strongly and communicate better with the Iraqi people. Mr. Bremer's office did not respond t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe New York times
Main Author DEXTER FILKINS and NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, N.Y New York Times Company 21.08.2003
EditionLate Edition (East Coast)
Subjects
Bremer, L Paul III
Military occupations
Postwar reconstruction
Security management
Suicide bombings
Terrorism
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 20
Iraq
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Summary:Iraqi officials described a tense meeting between L. Paul Bremer III and the Iraqi Governing Council. Mr. Bremer, they said, demanded that the 25-member Council exert more authority, condemn the bombing strongly and communicate better with the Iraqi people. Mr. Bremer's office did not respond to a request for comment. But a memo prepared by two of his staff and dated today listed measures that the Iraqi Council should be encouraged to take, including calling on Iraqis to ''take responsibility for their own security'' by joining a newly created Iraqi civil defense force and holding ''town hall meetings'' in their local districts. The apparent tension between Mr. Bremer and at least some of the Council members suggests the delicacy of the political enterprise here. American officials say they are eager to turn over the reins of the Iraqi government to the Iraqi leaders, but not so fast as to overwhelm their untested democratic skills.
ISSN:0362-4331