Al-Yawir slams US for army break up

Iraqi interim President Ghazi al-Yawir says the US-led authorities have made a big mistake by dismantling the country’s armed forces and main government ministries after ousting President Saddam Hussein.

Al-Yawir : We have to reinstate some of the army staff

Paul Bremer, the former civilian overseer at the head of the US-led occupying authority in Iraq, dissolved the country’s defence ministry and disbanded the armed forces on 23 May 2003.
 
Those moves, al-Yawir said, contributed to the rise in violence and lawlessness in Iraq.

“Dissolving the ministry of defence and ministry of the interior was a big mistake at that time,” al-Yawir told BBC radio on Monday.

“We could have screened people out, instead of screening people in, and this could have saved us a lot of hassle and a lot of problems.

“I firmly believe that the security situation will not be solved unless we have 100% efficient Iraqi forces.

“We have to reinstate some of the clean record of army officers and police officers,” al-Yawir added, saying he had made the same argument in Washington last week.
 
The new Iraqi armed forces and police, launched in August of that year, has since been a target of massive attacks by fighters opposed to the US-backed interim government and US-led forces.

Al-Yawir said the main concern in Iraq was now ensuring people would be able to vote safely. “This is what we are trying to work on right now,” he said. 

Source: AFP