Saddam Hussein's foes tighten their control of the Governing Council in Iraq, reports Salah Hemeid Iraq's interim 25-member Governing Council formed by the US-led coalition elected a nine-member presidency on Tuesday ending a nearly two week deadlock over who should chair the body. Choosing a leader was a top priority for the council, which held its first meeting on 13 July. Hoshiyar Zebari, a spokesman for the council, told reporters that the presidency would rotate between the nine members during an interim period expected to end with the ratification of a new constitution and the election of a new government. "The council may resort to alphabetical order or to voting to decide who will lead it and the period may be one month or two," said Zebari, who also acts as political adviser to Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party and one of the nine members. The nine presidency members include, alongside Barzani, Iraqi National Congress head Ahmed Chalabi, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Jalal Talabani, Iyad Allawi of the Iraqi National Accord, Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim of the Shi'ite Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Ibrahim Jaafari of the Da'wa Party, Adnan Pachachi, a former foreign minister, Mohamed Bahr Al-Uloum, an Islamic scholar and Muhsin Abdul-Hameed of the Iraqi Islamic Party (Muslim Brotherhood). While Barzani and Talabani were in the Kurdish controlled enclave during Saddam's rule, Abdul-Hameed remained underground, working to build the Brotherhood's clandestine organisations. The rest lived in exile and returned after Saddam's fall. The new presidency reflects the ethnic and sectarian composition of the council, giving Shi'ites a majority of five seats and Arab Sunnis and Kurds two each. Sources close to the council revealed that the so-called Group-7, comprising leaders of formerly exiled factions, held lengthy discussions to iron out the final agreement prior to a six-hour council meeting on Tuesday. The sources said the composition of the presidency reflected the increasing weight of US-backed factions that will lead Iraq during an unspecified period of transitional rule. The council, announced on 13 July, has the power to appoint and dismiss ministers, approve the budget and decide on economic and electoral reform, though final control of Iraq rests with the senior US civilian administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer. The council will also draft a new constitution leading to an elected, taking over from the council when military occupation ends. Meanwhile, US forces have intensified their hunt for Saddam near his hometown of Tikrit. Troops have raided dozens of suspected hideouts in the area and seized more than 175 Saddam loyalists since the former president's sons were killed in a shootout on 22 July. The campaign to track down Saddam has resolved into a small but intense war conducted in the mud-hut villages and lush palm groves along the Tigris River valley with the US army using the traditional methods of any occupation power -- intelligence reports, money and brute force. Saddam is also believed to be carrying large sums of money in order to buy safety for himself. The former Iraqi president, allegedly heard in a tape mourning his sons broadcast by an Arab television network on Tuesday, vowed to continue fight against the Americans. US military officials told American newspapers that thousands of suspected Iraqi fighters had been detained in the recent campaign after hundreds of US military raids, most conducted at night. In the region north of Baghdad patrolled by the Fourth Infantry Division more than 300 Iraqis had been killed in combat operations, the officials told reporters, while US forces suffered 39 casualties. Continuing US casualties are the direct result of the intensified offensive, the officials added. Despite the losses US army officers insist that they are making solid gains in the region, where most of the fighting is taking place and where half the 150,000 US troops in the country are posted. Senior US army commanders believe the troops are progressing and that time is running out for Iraq's former leader. "We understand there are going to be casualties," General Richard B Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a 24-hour visit to meet with US field commanders and civilian administrators in Iraq. "But the most important thing is to understand why we're here," he said. "The soldiers understand exactly what this is all about, and they are extremely motivated and extremely confident that they can fulfill their task." Major Stan Murphy, intelligence officer of the First Brigade combat team, Fourth Infantry Division, predicted that Saddam's days are numbered: "I think it's getting very tight as we take more of his bodyguards and trusted associates. His circle is getting smaller by the day and there are only so many spots he can go. He may try to get away to a more low- key or rural area." With attacks against the Americans intensifying concerns are growing about whether the US-led coalition will be able to stabilise Iraq. Even with the Governing Council in place the window for cooperation may close rapidly if Iraqis do not see progress. Until the Council moves quickly to restore law and order and basic services the possibility of chaos becomes more real every day.
