Iraq could have elected govt 'within a year'

Iraq could have an an elected government in less than a year, the US administrator said today.

Such an administration will not come too soon for Washington following the deaths of two more US soldiers in Iraq – bringing the total to 52 since major combat was declared over.

Paul Bremer, a former diplomat and counterterrorism expert, said he believed a new constitution could be written and accepted by the Iraqi people in a referendum, followed by general elections by the middle of next year.

“It is certainly not unrealistic to think that we could have elections by mid-year 2004,” Bremer said while touring the partially refurbished Iraqi Foreign Ministry with members of the interim government he appointed on July 13.

“And when a sovereign government is installed, the coalition authority will cede authority to the government and my job here will be over.”

His optimism was surprising given that it took the Governing Council more than two weeks to agree on a presidency, its first order of business.

When the 25 members were unable to select a single president, they tried to come up with a three-member presidency, failing again and finally deciding on a nine-member team that will each hold the presidency for a month.

An elected government also would allay doubts among many United Nations members, who have been hesitant to send peacekeeping troops to an Iraq occupied and administered by the United States, which snubbed the international body by launching its war.

The United States would like international help in restoring peace to Iraq, where their troops still come under attack daily.

A soldier was killed and three others injured today when their Gavin armoured personnel carrier ran over a land mine on the dangerous road from Baghdad to the capital’s airport.

Earlier, another soldier was killed in a small-arms fire attack north-east of Baghdad.

The deaths brought to 52 the number of soldiers killed in combat since President George Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1.

So far 166 American forces have been killed in the Iraq war, 19 more than died in the 1991 Gulf War.

The deaths broke a period of relative peace. No American soldier had been reported killed in combat in Iraq in more than 48 hours.

US forces have been conducting daily raids in search of Saddam, and said it was “just a matter of time” before he is caught.

“He’s going to start making mistakes, and we’re going to catch him,” said Major Josslyn Aberle, an army spokeswoman in Tikrit, Saddam’s home town.

“We estimate he’s not staying more than four hours at the same place. But the man’s been a master of hiding all his life.”