From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: IRAQ: Iraqi opposition drafts plans to return home
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 09:23:15 GMT

/** mideast.gulf: 31.8 **/
** Written 12:31 am  Aug 11, 1992 by pnmideast in cdp:mideast.gulf **
From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/IRAQ/AUGUST 1992

/* Written 12:15 am  Aug 10, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "IRAQ: Iraqi opposition drafts plans" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: IRAQ: Iraqi opposition drafts plans to return home /RELATE/

an inter press service feature

by james m. dorsey

london, aug 7 (ips) -- just back from first-time talks with senior
us officials, iraqi opposition leaders are busy drafting plans to
challenge iraqi president saddam hussein's authority by
establishing a political and military presence on iraqi soil.

the plans are being made at the explicit request of us secretary
of state james baker and president george bush's national security
advisor brent scowcroft, following meetings with opposition
leaders -- including shi'ite cleric seyed mohammed bahr eloom and
kurdish leaders massoud barzani and jalal talabani.

iraqi opposition leaders, at the request of baker, planned to
convene the iraqi national congress -- an umbrella for kurdish,
shi'ite and sunni groups which has yet to encompass teheran and
damascus-based organisations -- in the northern iraqi town of
irbil rather than in a european or arab capital.

during the talks in washington, the opposition promised to
establish its headquarters in irbil. both sides -- according to
eloom, human rights activist abdel hussein shaaban, iraqi
businessmen and western intelligence sources -- agreed that ''the
iraqi people must bring about change themselves''.

both baker and scowcroft acknowledge the need to discuss military
assistance so that the opposition could create an armed force, but
postponed details for a series of working meetings yet to be held,
the opposition leaders said.

us assistant secretary of state for near east and south asian
affairs edward djerjian was appointed by baker to maintain contact
with the opposition. to facilitate that contact, scowcroft said he
will help the opposition open an office in washington, eloom said.

during the talks, said the opposition and the intelligence
sources, the us pledged to support a un security council
resolution releasing some of the billions of dollars in frozen
iraqi assets to the opposition. britain, the opposition leaders
said, had informed them that it would support such a resolution.

''the opposition needs to make a formal application to the
security council. this will happen in the next few weeks,''
shaaban said. the request, opposition leaders said, was being
informally discussed with un secretary general boutros boutros-
ghali. iraqi business sources have also said the us is privately
willing to loan the opposition 100 million dollars. (more/ips)

iraq: iraqi opposition drafts plans to return home /relate/(2-e)

iraq: iraqi opposition (2)

the us earlier this year allocated 40 million dollars in cash
support for the iraqi opposition, but both its leaders and
intelligence sources said the opposition had yet to see
substantial portions of this allocation.

one potential problem between the us and the iraqi opposition is
the involvement in the iraqi national congress of factions of the
shi'ite dawa party -- widely blamed for the december 1983 bombings
of the us and french embassies in kuwait and strategic kuwaiti
installations, as well as the failed 1985 attempt on the life of
kuwaiti emir sheikh jabar al sabah.

dawa party leader mohammed abdul jaabar, speaking for the first
time publicly about the incidents in kuwait, denied responsibility
in an apparent attempt to reassure the united states.

''i was head of dawa in kuwait at the time. we had decided that
islamic groups would do nothing military there despite the fact
that kuwait supported iraq in its war against iran. we had our
military bases in the north on the kuwaiti side of the border with
iraq. we wanted to keep kuwait safe for us,'' jaabar says.

instead he blamed the bombings on iran and hinted that former
iranian interior minister ayatollah mohammed hussein mohtashemi --
a hardliner linked with the founding of various radical shi'ite
groups -- had ordered the attacks.

jaabar said an iranian revolutionary guard contacted dawa on his
arrival in kuwait in 1983. ''we rejected the iranian request to
carry out the attacks. but 15 of our 200 members were ready to
follow the iranian instructions. we expelled them from the party.

''we have informed the saudis of this but not the americans. iran
is fully responsible for what happened in kuwait in 1983. it is
not my responsibility to tell the americans,'' jaabar said.

similarly, jaabar charged that the 1985 attempt on the emir's
life had been carried out by iraq, who then successfully created
the impression that dawa was responsible. ''since the (iraqi)
invasion (of kuwait two years ago) kuwait accepts that it was iraq
(that was responsible), not dawa,'' jaabar said.

western intelligence sources refused to comment on jaabar's
version of events, but noted that kuwait seemed to accept his
word. ''relations with the kuwaitis are very good,'' said jaabar,
who the sources say maintains close ties to kuwait's london
ambassador, ghazi al rayes. al rayes was unavailable for comment.

middle east analysts said dawa and the iraqi opposition was
unlikely to falsely blame iran for terrorist incidents at a time
that they needed iran to establish a shi'ite zone in southern iraq
protected by the united states and its gulf war allies. said one
analyst: ''at the very least, the iranians will have to tacitly
cooperate. this is not a time to point fingers unless you feel you
absolutely have to.'' (end/ips/ip/jmd/92)

** End of text from cdp:mideast.gulf **