Iraqi Kurds build factories, new roads

Iraqi Opposition 'Group of Four' Seeking to Hold Expanded Conference with Independents
Al-Hayat

By Ismail Zayir 
June 5, 2002

A group of Iraqi opposition parties are coordinating their joint stands on their political and field moves away from their public positions with the aim of bringing the opposition groups under one umbrella or forum as Washington is hoping for.

Al-Hayat has heard from various sources that the "group of four" -- which includes the main Kurdish parties the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and the National Accord Movement -- have proposed on their own initiative to hold an expanded meeting. The proposal is presently being examined as a practical way for overcoming difficult problems created, on one hand, by the divisions inside the US administration and on the other hand by objections of opposition parties that prefer self-finance and action under an Iraqi umbrella rather than US-financed conferences.

Iraqi opposition sources told Al-Hayat: "Time is passing without concrete results that reflect the prevailing atmosphere in Iraqi opposition circles. The opposition tried for years various ways that proved to be uncompatible with the political reality and did not reflect the true sizes of the opposition factions."

The "group of four" received during the past few weeks encouraging signs to proceed with their coordination, which is bound to create a strong "political bloc" and not just a "media entity." According to the information given to Al-Hayat, some circles in the US administration welcome the group's move and hope that it will be an acceptable element of attraction for the independent nationalist tendencies and figures that have stayed away from the action because of their differences with the Iraqi National Congress (INC).

It is understood from the available information that the US State Department "is encouraging the intended action and is also encouraging European initiatives to back the group and facilitate their meetings once the necessary preparations are
completed." A source close to the "group of four" said, "SCIRI is backing the independent move because it meets its condition of not attending foreign-financed opposition conferences or meetings."

According to Al-Hayat's information, Germany, France, and the Netherlands are eager to host the group's conferences after receiving positive signs from the US administration.

It is understood from the group's recent move that relations with the wing of Dr. Ahmed Chalabi have reached an impasse after intensive efforts were made in Washington and London to unify the two sides' endeavors and bring them again under the INC umbrella. The position expressed by some wings in the US administration indicate their deep belief in the group's seriousness and status in the field, which makes it possible to deal with it as an independent party in the efforts to overthrow the Iraqi regime. The group's sources assert that its move "aims to break the vicious circle that the Iraqi opposition is in and give the
Iraqi political forces an opportunity for ensuring harmony in their ranks and excluding elements of political differences and the parties that impeded the opposition's work during the past years."

It is believed that the formulation of a unified course for the "group of four" and their supporters will also open the way before the other wing which has for years been regarded as tied to the single framework for the opposition, the INC. Though the recent US signs to the "group of four" are positive, yet, in view of the political reality in Washington, this does not mean that Chalabi's wing is being abandoned or excluded but probably a review of the US way of dealing with the new polarizations inside the opposition factions.

It is recalled that the "group of four" became active almost two years ago and its representatives held periodic meetings several times. They reflected a clear harmony in their positions and interpretation of the Iraqi conditions and the relevant international
moves 
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