Al-Yawir appointed interim Iraq president

Al-Yawir was sworn in with an interim cabinet of technocrats in a televised ceremony rich in symbolism at a palace complex built by Saddam Hussein.

Before the ceremony council sources had revealed that al-Yawir got the job after Adnan Pachachi, a candidate favoured by Washington, declined an offer to take the position.

In his first public remarks, al-Yawir said he wanted the United Nations Security Council to grant the country "full sovereignty" in a resolution now under discussion.

"We the Iraqis look forward to being granted full sovereignty through a Security Council resolution to enable us to rebuild a free, independent, democratic and federal unified homeland," al-Yawir told a news conference.

Vice-presidents

United Nations envoy al-Ibrahimi, who confirmed al-Yawir's appointment, said in a statement the vice-presidents would be Ibrahim Jaafari, head of the Shia Muslim Dawa party, and Rowsch Shways, a politician from Iraq's non-Arab Kurdish minority.

Al-Ibrahimi said he had passed on recommendations for a
26-member cabinet team to prime minister-designate Iyad Allawi.

Pachachi's refusal

In a press conference, Pachachi explained that he declined the offer of the post of Iraq's interim president after he was accused of being the candidate of the United States.

"I gathered that certain parties were not satisfied that I should hold the post," said Pachachi. "It is a lie ... that the Coalition Provisional Authority wanted to impose me as president," he said, noting that al-Ibrahimi had put him forward
"It's wrong, I was never the CPA candidate, they had another
candidate. Upon reflection, I turned down the post (for) personal reasons," Pachachi said.

He said it was a "symbolic" position but also represented "the sovereignty of Iraq". The president had to "have the support of all sectors of society ... because he must be a factor for unity not disunity".

He suggested that "certain parties" wanted to keep him out of the job because of his "democratic and liberal views" and for his "opposition to any confessional carve-up" of political power in Iraq.

But the job had "to go to a Sunni Arab", Pachachi added.

Council dissolved

The Iraqi Governing Council decided to dissolve immediately after the appointment of the new interim government.

Council member Yunadam Kana told reporters that 20 of the 22 members of the US-appointed body, which was appointed last July, agreed to go out of business.

The council had been expected to remain in office until the transfer of sovereignty on 30 June.

Kana said that two members expressed reservations, arguing the interim constitution adopted in March required the council to continue its work until the sovereignty transfer at the end of this month.


Aljazeera + Agencies
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D87DF768-C95D-4CE1-9008-95D534347351.htm