Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Iraqis plan new government under U.S. guidance BY DAVlD ESPO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Iraqis began building a new government under American guidance on Tuesday and received an assurance that the United States has no desire to rule their country. “Our victory in Iraq is certain, but it is not complete,” President Bush said. After 27 days of fighting — and the certainty of an interim U.S. led governing authority — anti American anger flared. But U.S. forces also won cooperation from Iraqis eager to restore order and vital services to their war-torn land. Acting on a tip, special forces searching a house in Baghdad re ported finding a weapons cache with a sizable laboratory and in structions for making chemical and biological weapons. Among the finds, they said, were bombs concealed in a pill bottle, an un opened box, a telephone and an umbrella. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H, Rumsfeld said he believed troops had shut down an illegal oil pipeline said to export up to 200,000 barrels of oil daily to Syria. There was no major fighting re ported during the day. Under a gold-colored tent at one of Saddam’s former military bases, dozens of Iraqis and exiles met under U.S. auspices to begin discussions on a postwar govern ment. White House envoy Zalmay Khalilzad assured the group the United States has “no interest, ab solutely no interest, in ruling Iraq.” The United States showcased the meeting — picking the site near Ur, the biblical birthplace of Abraham — and flying in re porters. Dozens of representatives from Iraqi factions attended, exiles and in-country residents among them. Others boycotted, though, amid opposition to an interim authority. to be established under the direc tion of Jay Gamer, a retired U.S. general. The group released a 13-point statement that said the new Iraq must be democratic, the rule of law must be paramount and Saddam’s Baath Party “must be dissolved and its effects on society must be eliminated.” It wasn’t immediately clear whether the paper was drafted by U.S. officials in advance of the meeting. Participants voted to meet again in 10 days. Half a world away, Bush stopped short of a formal declara tion of victory in Operation Iraqi Freedom. “Today the world is safer, the terrorists have lost an ally, the Iraqi people are regaining control of their own destiny. These are good days for the history of free dom,” he said. There was another sign that the conflict was nearing an end. French President Jacques Chirac, a prominent critic of the war, tele phoned Bush. In their first con versation in more than two months, Chirac appeared to soft en his demand that the United Nations have a central role in post war reconstruction. After nearly a quarter-century of living under a regime that pun ished dissent with death, Iraqis ex perimented with freedom of speech. “No to America and no to Saddam,” chanted thousands of Shiite protesters in Nasiriyah, ob jecting to the U.S.-sponsored con ference held not far outside that southern city. “Americans are against free dom and democracy,” shouted one man in Tikrit, Saddam’s birth place and the last major popula tion center to fall to U.S.-led forces. And in Kut, military officials said hundreds of protesters blocked Marines from entering city hall to meet a radical anti American Shiite cleric who has declared himself in control. There were ample signs, though, of Iraqis welcoming and cooperating with the American forces who established an armed presence in their midst. Some Marines in Tikrit wore flowers in their uniforms, gifts from resi dents of the city. Joint Iraqi-U.S. patrols made their first forays into Baghdad. American commanders reported ample assistance from Iraqis ea ger to help the troops uncover some of the regime’s secrets. “We’re getting millions of these tips, some credible, some not so credible,” said Lt. Col. Philip DeCamp. The United States was offering incentives, too. Defense officials said the Pentagon would pay rewards of up to $200,000 for information on the whereabouts of regime leaders. Soldiers patrolling northern Baghdad found a mobile AM radio station in a warehouse at the Iraqi railroad yard, and worked to clear a city park from hundreds of mu nitions left from an Iraqi artillery and mortar position. In his remarks, Bush said the war marked a “crucial advance in the war against terror,” And de spite accusations leveled against Syria in recent days by adminis tration officials, Secretary of State Colin Powell said there are no plans for a military move against the Damascus government. Powell said Iraq was “a unique case” that required U.S. military action. Officials have accused Syria of having a program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and of providing safe harbor to regime leaders fleeing Iraq. Syria has de nied the charges. The meeting near Ur took place close to a 4,000-year-old ziggurat, a terraced-pyramid temple of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians. Participants includ ed Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites from inside the country as well as oth ers who have been in exile. Americans picked the groups to be represented, but each faction selected its own representatives. Gnat Hair Styles. Great Highlights. Great Nails. Men's HiLite and Cut $35 * Manicure & Pedicure $40 * Foil HiLite $45 Great Day. * Good for April & May 2003 only 11 SPRING VALLEY JL wnnoHiLL 419^ 8550^ 695 - 6907 9005-A Two Notch Rd. 6000 Gamers Ferry Rd. 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