Adnan Pachachi
Encyclopedia
Adnan al-Pachachi or Adnan Muzahim Amin al-Pachachi (born May 14, 1923) is a veteran Iraq
i politician and diplomat. Pachachi was Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations
from 1959 to 1965 and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq from 1965 to 1967; he again served as Permanent Representative to the UN from 1967 to 1968. After the Ba'ath Party seized power in 1968, he spent a long period in exile. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, Pachachi has been an important figure in Iraqi politics, often described as Iraq's elder statesman
.
. The son of Muzahim al-Pachachi
and nephew of Hamdi al-Pachachi
, he is the scion of a Sunni Arab
family with a long tradition in Iraqi politics and a graduate from Victoria College, Alexandria
in Egypt. He was Iraq's Permanent Representative to the UN from 1959 to 1965 during the revolutionary regime of Abdul Karim Qassim
. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Iraq from 1965 to 1967, during the regime of presidents Abdul Salam Arif
and Abdul Rahman Arif
, it was the Pachachi government that orchestrated the largest arrest of Iraqi Jews, larger than the one by the Ba'ath Party in 1968. During his time at the United Nations
he was well known for his tough opposition to Israel
and his refusal to recognise Kuwait
. In the December of 1965, he was presented with a plaque by the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) "in recognition and appreciation of his dedication to and distinguished services for Palestine
in the United Nations
." The PLO was considered by the United States and Israel to be a terrorist organization until the Madrid Conference in 1991 but has enjoyed observer status at the United Nations
since 1974. Pachachi served as the Foreign Minister
of Iraq during the Six-Day War
and denounced the ceasefire which ended it, claiming it was a "complete surrender to Israel." He then served as Permanent Representative to the UN for a second time from 1967 to 1968. When the Ba'th Party came to power in July 1968, Pachachi resigned from his post because as he put it "I felt it was morally wrong to represent a regime whose values I don't share."
He spent most of the years of Ba'ath
ist rule in exile in Abu Dhabi
after leaving Iraq. While in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), he acted as advisor to the Emir, however he lost this position in 1991 when he opposed the UAE's involvement in the Gulf War
. He describes himself as a fervent Arab nationalist, in his memoirs he wrote that he is unable to accept Israel
's existence and that Iraq and Syria
should unite into one Arab state. Pachachi publicly opposed the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 and only renounced his nearly 40-year-old view that Kuwait
was the 19th province of Iraq in 1999.
's foreign policy hawks as a Zionist lobby. Pachachi dismissed US plans to redraw the map of the Middle East
to benefit Washington and set up an American military administration
in Baghdad. "These statements come from the Zionist lobby in the United States which thinks that overthrowing Saddam Hussein
will bring Arab reconciliation with Israel. That is stupid because if a democratic regime is created in Iraq, it will display greater hatred for Israel
. This lobby is opposed to me playing any role in Iraq, through the instigation of Ahmad Chalabi” Pachachi said. Unlike Ahmad Chalabi who had sought the support of AIPAC, Pachachi said there would not be good relations between Iraq and Israel, as this would be antithetical to Iraqi interests.
He had very strongly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq and was involved in creating an exile deal that the UAE offered Saddam Hussein in a last minute effort to avoid the impending war and suffering of the Iraqi people. Hussein allegedly accepted the offer to try to halt the invasion and bring elections to Iraq within six months, according to Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
; however, the invasion still went ahead. In February 2003, Pachachi refused a seat on the US-appointed six-member leadership council set up at a meeting of major opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
Pachachi vocally opposed the process of awarding out contracts to US firms after the ousting of the Ba'ath regime and criticised Washington
over the plans for a US-led civilian authority to hand out reconstruction contracts without the approval of an elected Iraqi government. In April 2003, the US government awarded the Bechtel Corporation a $680-million-contract to help rebuild Iraq's power, water and sewage systems as well as repair air and sea ports, Pachachi slammed this decision saying "No one has the right to commit Iraq to obligations and costs, only an Iraqi government can do that. A parliament
should also endorse the agreements."
After much deliberation Pachachi agreed to be part of the Iraqi Governing Council
(IGC) in July 2003. The CounterPunch
journalist Andrew Cockburn
commented on the IGC: "I think one person who deserves credit is Adnan Pachachi. From the beginning when they moved into Baghdad
and seized nice houses, he was the only one that insisted on paying rent. He has always exhibited integrity." When Pachachi did return to Iraq, he was denounced by Middle East specialist at the CIA, Reuel Marc Gerecht
, as "a surreal specimen of sclerotic Pan-Arabism
from 30 years ago."
In April 2004, during the US military operations in the city of Fallujah
, Pachachi spoke out angrily claiming the actions taken by US forces were "illegal and totally unacceptable" he also accused them of "inflicting collective punishment
on the residents of Fallujah" which is a war crime
under the Fourth Geneva Convention
. On May 29th 2004, he said of the US invasion of Iraq "The Americans thought they were marching into an underdeveloped country, expecting to face little resistance and be welcomed with flowers. The Americans quickly realized that the Iraqi is a patriot, one who defends his country, just as his ancestors have done for thousands of years. We are an educated people with a long history, and we are a cultured people. The Americans also did not expect the infrastructure they found in Iraq. They were surprised. They couldn't understand that a dictator like Saddam Hussein had invested a large share of oil revenues in infrastructure projects, such as highways, modern irrigation canals and industrial plants, which one doesn't find in just any country. The marines were confused by this new realization, as well as by their failure to achieve a swift victory and by the ongoing resistance. It also confounded the American concept, that is, if a sound and credible concept ever existed. No people in the world wishes to live with occupiers, and we Iraqis are no different." Pachachi also commented on the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
"What kind of reaction do you expect from the Iraqis? Regardless of age, profession and political affiliation, we are all horrified and furious about these atrocities. I had already heard about the brusque approach taken by the Americans during house searches early on. However, I was completely taken aback by the gruesome scope of the torture and human rights violations that have now come to light. Not just I, but all Iraqis demand a tough investigation and punishment of the perpetrators and the people behind them. We also need guarantees that such atrocities will cease once and for all. What has happened cannot be undone, and the long-term psychological consequences are unforeseeable."
On the 1st of June 2004, he was reportedly nominated to be the President of the Iraqi Interim Government
by United Nations
Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi
. He chose to publicly decline the post, stating that he did not want to be seen as a puppet of the United States
. Pachachi said he turned down the position "because I was accused of being the choice of the Americans. I had to refuse this offer, in order to preserve my reputation and my honor. Trying to portray me as a little soft on the Americans when I have been struggling for Arab rights all my life is not only false, it is unfair. I find it really insulting." Pachachi later claimed he was forced to turn down the job because of a "shabby conspiracy" led by Ahmad Chalabi.He said "There is a great deal of disinformation that I was the preferred candidate of the US. Nothing could be further from the truth."
secularist
, Dr. Pachachi put together a list of candidates called the Assembly of Independent Democrats
(his party Democratic Centrist Tendency
was included) to contest Iraq's January 2005 legislative election
. Prior to the elections Pachachi accused the United States of interfering in Iraq's affairs by insisting that the January 30th election go ahead on that date. Sunni Arab political and religious leaders, including Pachachi, called for a six month delay arguing that the violence sweeping the country meant a free poll could not go ahead. "The strange thing is that America and Iran, who differ on everything, agree on one issue of holding elections on January 30th," Pachachi told reporters. "It is not the business of the United States or Iran
or any other country to talk about delaying or sticking to the date. We are very upset by such attempts as foreign states sharing their opinion in this issue. Let us try to agree among ourselves because external attempts might deter any agreement."
In May 2005 he commented "The current situation in this country is very serious, the security is terrible, the services are almost non-existent the provision of the essentials is extremely inadequate. There is rampant corruption and selfishness the Iraqi political class
is only a bit better than that of the Congo
."
For the December 2005 elections
, he was elected as a member of the list headed by former Prime Minister
Ayad Allawi. Following Arab political tradition, Pachachi opened the first session of the Iraqi National Assembly in April 2005, as the oldest member elected.
In January 2007 Pachachi blamed occupying forces for the sectarian violence in Iraq
“The vast majority of Iraqis are not involved in sectarian violence, they want to live in peace. Militias act in the name of a sect. I blame this on the occupying power, which established a system based on division.” He is reported to have close links with Dr. Muhamad Ayash al-Kubaisi and the Association of Muslim Scholars
.
At the time of the March 2010 parliamentary election, Pachachi again stood as a candidate on Allawi's Iraqi List
. He expressed serious concerns about the credibility of the election: "There have been wide reports of intimidation of voters; there are certain to be attempts at voter fraud". Pachachi suggested that the government could be planning fraud due to its alleged printing of seven million unnecessary ballots. Nevertheless, he was hopeful, arguing that voters were more interested in the candidates' ability than in sectarian concerns and that "if they are allowed to [vote] without intimidation or fear, this could be a watershed moment and an example to the rest of the Middle East." However after the elections in August 2010, he said "The idea that Iraq is being left in a good position is utter nonsense," and American officials should not "delude themselves."
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i politician and diplomat. Pachachi was Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from 1959 to 1965 and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq from 1965 to 1967; he again served as Permanent Representative to the UN from 1967 to 1968. After the Ba'ath Party seized power in 1968, he spent a long period in exile. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, Pachachi has been an important figure in Iraqi politics, often described as Iraq's elder statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
.
Diplomatic and political career
Pachachi was born in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. The son of Muzahim al-Pachachi
Muzahim al-Pachachi
Muzahim al-Pachachi , Iraqi politician and diplomat, was born to a prominent family and graduated from the Baghdad School of Law. He organized the Arab nationalist Cultural Club in Baghdad in 1912; its members included Hamdi al-Pachachi, Talib al-Naqib and Muhammad Ridha...
and nephew of Hamdi al-Pachachi
Hamdi al-Pachachi
Hamdi al-Pachachi , Iraqi politician, was born to a well known family in Baghdad. He studied law at the Royal School in Istanbul, graduating in 1909. He taught at the Baghdad Law School from 1913 to 1916. While in Istanbul, he joined the Covenant Society and became active in the Arab nationalist...
, he is the scion of a Sunni Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
family with a long tradition in Iraqi politics and a graduate from Victoria College, Alexandria
Victoria College, Alexandria
Victoria College, Alexandria, was founded in 1902 under the impetus of the recently ennobled Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer of the Barings Bank, that was heavily invested in Egyptian stability. For years the British Consul-General was ex officio on the board of Victoria College...
in Egypt. He was Iraq's Permanent Representative to the UN from 1959 to 1965 during the revolutionary regime of Abdul Karim Qassim
Abdul Karim Qassim
Abd al-Karim Qasim , was a nationalist Iraqi Army general who seized power in a 1958 coup d'état, wherein the Iraqi monarchy was eliminated. He ruled the country as Prime Minister of Iraq until his downfall and death in 1963....
. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of Iraq from 1965 to 1967, during the regime of presidents Abdul Salam Arif
Abdul Salam Arif
Abdul Salam Mohammed Arif Aljumaily was President of Iraq from 1963 till his death. He played a leading role in the coup in which the Hashemite monarchy was overthrown on July 14, 1958.-1958 revolution and conflict with Qasim:...
and Abdul Rahman Arif
Abdul Rahman Arif
Hajj Abdul Rahman Mohammed Arif Aljumaily was president of Iraq from April 16, 1966 to July 17, 1968.-Biography:...
, it was the Pachachi government that orchestrated the largest arrest of Iraqi Jews, larger than the one by the Ba'ath Party in 1968. During his time at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
he was well known for his tough opposition to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and his refusal to recognise Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. In the December of 1965, he was presented with a plaque by the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
(PLO) "in recognition and appreciation of his dedication to and distinguished services for Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
." The PLO was considered by the United States and Israel to be a terrorist organization until the Madrid Conference in 1991 but has enjoyed observer status at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
since 1974. Pachachi served as the Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of Iraq during the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
and denounced the ceasefire which ended it, claiming it was a "complete surrender to Israel." He then served as Permanent Representative to the UN for a second time from 1967 to 1968. When the Ba'th Party came to power in July 1968, Pachachi resigned from his post because as he put it "I felt it was morally wrong to represent a regime whose values I don't share."
He spent most of the years of Ba'ath
Ba'athist Iraq
The History of Iraq , referred to as Ba'athist Iraq, covers the period of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's rule over Iraq. Ba'athist rule in Iraq first occurred briefly in 1963 under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr until overthrown that same year. Ba'athism was restored to power five years later after...
ist rule in exile in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
after leaving Iraq. While in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
(UAE), he acted as advisor to the Emir, however he lost this position in 1991 when he opposed the UAE's involvement in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. He describes himself as a fervent Arab nationalist, in his memoirs he wrote that he is unable to accept Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's existence and that Iraq and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
should unite into one Arab state. Pachachi publicly opposed the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 and only renounced his nearly 40-year-old view that Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
was the 19th province of Iraq in 1999.
Events of 2003–2004
In February 2003 he reportedly blasted the George W. Bush AdministrationGeorge W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
's foreign policy hawks as a Zionist lobby. Pachachi dismissed US plans to redraw the map of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to benefit Washington and set up an American military administration
Military administration
Military administration identifies both the techniques and systems used by military departments, agencies, and Armed Services involved in the management of the armed forces...
in Baghdad. "These statements come from the Zionist lobby in the United States which thinks that overthrowing Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
will bring Arab reconciliation with Israel. That is stupid because if a democratic regime is created in Iraq, it will display greater hatred for Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. This lobby is opposed to me playing any role in Iraq, through the instigation of Ahmad Chalabi” Pachachi said. Unlike Ahmad Chalabi who had sought the support of AIPAC, Pachachi said there would not be good relations between Iraq and Israel, as this would be antithetical to Iraqi interests.
He had very strongly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq and was involved in creating an exile deal that the UAE offered Saddam Hussein in a last minute effort to avoid the impending war and suffering of the Iraqi people. Hussein allegedly accepted the offer to try to halt the invasion and bring elections to Iraq within six months, according to Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces .-Political and business career:...
; however, the invasion still went ahead. In February 2003, Pachachi refused a seat on the US-appointed six-member leadership council set up at a meeting of major opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
Pachachi vocally opposed the process of awarding out contracts to US firms after the ousting of the Ba'ath regime and criticised Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
over the plans for a US-led civilian authority to hand out reconstruction contracts without the approval of an elected Iraqi government. In April 2003, the US government awarded the Bechtel Corporation a $680-million-contract to help rebuild Iraq's power, water and sewage systems as well as repair air and sea ports, Pachachi slammed this decision saying "No one has the right to commit Iraq to obligations and costs, only an Iraqi government can do that. A parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
should also endorse the agreements."
After much deliberation Pachachi agreed to be part of the Iraqi Governing Council
Iraqi Governing Council
The Iraqi Governing Council was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority...
(IGC) in July 2003. The CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
journalist Andrew Cockburn
Andrew Cockburn
Andrew Cockburn is a journalist who has lived in the United States for many years.-Early life and family:Born in London in 1947, Cockburn grew up in County Cork, Ireland. His father was socialist author and journalist Claud Cockburn...
commented on the IGC: "I think one person who deserves credit is Adnan Pachachi. From the beginning when they moved into Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and seized nice houses, he was the only one that insisted on paying rent. He has always exhibited integrity." When Pachachi did return to Iraq, he was denounced by Middle East specialist at the CIA, Reuel Marc Gerecht
Reuel Marc Gerecht
Reuel Marc Gerecht is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, focusing primarily on the Middle East, Islamic militancy, counterterrorism, and intelligence. He is a former director of the Project for the New American Century's Middle East Initiative and a former resident...
, as "a surreal specimen of sclerotic Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism is an ideology espousing the unification--or, sometimes, close cooperation and solidarity against perceived enemies of the Arabs--of the countries of the Arab world, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism, which asserts that the Arabs...
from 30 years ago."
In April 2004, during the US military operations in the city of Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
, Pachachi spoke out angrily claiming the actions taken by US forces were "illegal and totally unacceptable" he also accused them of "inflicting collective punishment
Collective punishment
Collective punishment is the punishment of a group of people as a result of the behavior of one or more other individuals or groups. The punished group may often have no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions...
on the residents of Fallujah" which is a war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
under the Fourth Geneva Convention
Fourth Geneva Convention
The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, commonly referred to as the Fourth Geneva Convention and abbreviated as GCIV, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was adopted in August 1949, and defines humanitarian protections for civilians...
. On May 29th 2004, he said of the US invasion of Iraq "The Americans thought they were marching into an underdeveloped country, expecting to face little resistance and be welcomed with flowers. The Americans quickly realized that the Iraqi is a patriot, one who defends his country, just as his ancestors have done for thousands of years. We are an educated people with a long history, and we are a cultured people. The Americans also did not expect the infrastructure they found in Iraq. They were surprised. They couldn't understand that a dictator like Saddam Hussein had invested a large share of oil revenues in infrastructure projects, such as highways, modern irrigation canals and industrial plants, which one doesn't find in just any country. The marines were confused by this new realization, as well as by their failure to achieve a swift victory and by the ongoing resistance. It also confounded the American concept, that is, if a sound and credible concept ever existed. No people in the world wishes to live with occupiers, and we Iraqis are no different." Pachachi also commented on the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
"What kind of reaction do you expect from the Iraqis? Regardless of age, profession and political affiliation, we are all horrified and furious about these atrocities. I had already heard about the brusque approach taken by the Americans during house searches early on. However, I was completely taken aback by the gruesome scope of the torture and human rights violations that have now come to light. Not just I, but all Iraqis demand a tough investigation and punishment of the perpetrators and the people behind them. We also need guarantees that such atrocities will cease once and for all. What has happened cannot be undone, and the long-term psychological consequences are unforeseeable."
On the 1st of June 2004, he was reportedly nominated to be the President of the Iraqi Interim Government
Iraqi Interim Government
The Iraqi Interim Government was created by the United States and its coalition allies as a caretaker government to govern Iraq until the Iraqi Transitional Government was installed following the Iraqi National Assembly election conducted on January 30, 2005...
by United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi
Lakhdar Brahimi
Lakhdar Brahimi is a veteran United Nations envoy and advisor. He retired from his duties at the end of 2005. Brahimi is a member of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, the first global initiative to focus specifically on the link between exclusion, poverty and law...
. He chose to publicly decline the post, stating that he did not want to be seen as a puppet of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Pachachi said he turned down the position "because I was accused of being the choice of the Americans. I had to refuse this offer, in order to preserve my reputation and my honor. Trying to portray me as a little soft on the Americans when I have been struggling for Arab rights all my life is not only false, it is unfair. I find it really insulting." Pachachi later claimed he was forced to turn down the job because of a "shabby conspiracy" led by Ahmad Chalabi.He said "There is a great deal of disinformation that I was the preferred candidate of the US. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Political activity since 2005
A liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
secularist
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
, Dr. Pachachi put together a list of candidates called the Assembly of Independent Democrats
Assembly of Independent Democrats
The Assembly of Independent Democrats is an electoral coalition that participated in the January 30, 2005 National Assembly legislative election in Iraq...
(his party Democratic Centrist Tendency
Democratic Centrist Tendency
The Democratic Centrist Tendency was an Iraqi political party founded in 2000 in London by Iraqi exiles who were opposed to the rule of Saddam Hussein...
was included) to contest Iraq's January 2005 legislative election
Iraqi legislative election, January 2005
Elections for the National Assembly of Iraq were held on January 30, 2005 in Iraq. The 275-member National Assembly was a parliament created under the Transitional Law during the Occupation of Iraq...
. Prior to the elections Pachachi accused the United States of interfering in Iraq's affairs by insisting that the January 30th election go ahead on that date. Sunni Arab political and religious leaders, including Pachachi, called for a six month delay arguing that the violence sweeping the country meant a free poll could not go ahead. "The strange thing is that America and Iran, who differ on everything, agree on one issue of holding elections on January 30th," Pachachi told reporters. "It is not the business of the United States or Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
or any other country to talk about delaying or sticking to the date. We are very upset by such attempts as foreign states sharing their opinion in this issue. Let us try to agree among ourselves because external attempts might deter any agreement."
In May 2005 he commented "The current situation in this country is very serious, the security is terrible, the services are almost non-existent the provision of the essentials is extremely inadequate. There is rampant corruption and selfishness the Iraqi political class
Political class
Political class, or political elite is a concept in comparative political science originally developed by Italian political theorist theory of Gaetano Mosca . It refers to the relatively small group of activists that is highly aware and active in politics, and from whom the national leadership is...
is only a bit better than that of the Congo
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
."
For the December 2005 elections
Iraqi legislative election, December 2005
Following the ratification of the Constitution of Iraq on 15 October 2005, a general election was held on 15 December to elect a permanent 275-member Iraqi Council of Representatives....
, he was elected as a member of the list headed by former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Iraq
The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's head of government. Prime Minister was originally an appointed office, subsidiary to the head of state, and the nominal leader of the Iraqi parliament. Under the newly adopted constitution the Prime Minister is to be the country's active executive authority...
Ayad Allawi. Following Arab political tradition, Pachachi opened the first session of the Iraqi National Assembly in April 2005, as the oldest member elected.
In January 2007 Pachachi blamed occupying forces for the sectarian violence in Iraq
Sectarian violence in Iraq
Following the U.S.-launched 2003 invasion of Iraq, the situation deteriorated, and by 2007, the conflict between Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a factions was described by the National Intelligence Estimate as having elements of a civil war. In a January 10, 2007 address to the American people, President...
“The vast majority of Iraqis are not involved in sectarian violence, they want to live in peace. Militias act in the name of a sect. I blame this on the occupying power, which established a system based on division.” He is reported to have close links with Dr. Muhamad Ayash al-Kubaisi and the Association of Muslim Scholars
Association of Muslim Scholars
The Association of Muslim Scholars is a group of religious leaders in Iraq. It was formed on the April 14, 2003, four days after the U.S.-led invasion demolished the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein, by a group of scholars who aimed to represent Sunnis in Iraq...
.
At the time of the March 2010 parliamentary election, Pachachi again stood as a candidate on Allawi's Iraqi List
Iraqi List
The Iraqi List is a political party list in the Iraqi National Assembly election, 2005, consisting of mainly secular Shia. It is dominated by the Iraqi National Accord led by former exile and interim prime minister Iyad Allawi...
. He expressed serious concerns about the credibility of the election: "There have been wide reports of intimidation of voters; there are certain to be attempts at voter fraud". Pachachi suggested that the government could be planning fraud due to its alleged printing of seven million unnecessary ballots. Nevertheless, he was hopeful, arguing that voters were more interested in the candidates' ability than in sectarian concerns and that "if they are allowed to [vote] without intimidation or fear, this could be a watershed moment and an example to the rest of the Middle East." However after the elections in August 2010, he said "The idea that Iraq is being left in a good position is utter nonsense," and American officials should not "delude themselves."
Quotes
- "We are certain that sooner or later, the people of AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
will themselves help to expose the fraud that Israel is. They will understand that in the Arab world today, ZionismZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
represents a force far more evil and dangerous than apartheid, an expansionist and aggressive force, bent upon dominating our lands and arresting the progress of our people." (p. 207)
- - Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "With the exception of EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
's noble stand against the Anglo-Franco-Israeli aggression in 1956, United States policies in the Arab Near East have been an unmitigated disaster for the Arabs." (p. 12)
- - Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "I have always retained a soft spot for KhrushchevNikita KhrushchevNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
because of his wholehearted support for the Arab position." (p. 11)
- - Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "My country, like many other Arab countries, has long suffered from foreign interference in its internal affairs. Moreover, as is well known, there are few areas in the world which have been afflicted as much by foreign military bases. These bases have been, and are still being, used to prevent parts of our Arab homeland from attaining freedom and independence. These bases are primarily used to maintain unequal relationships and protect positions of influence." (p. 77)
- - Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- On the establishment of IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
: "This conflict arose because Zionists planned to establish a state in a country overwhelmingly Arab in population, in land-ownership, in language and in culture. Such intent was bound to be opposed by the Arabs. What nation in the world gives up its homeland to accommodate another? But according to Zionist mythology, Arab resistance against the Zionist intent to take away their country is itself agression. The Zionists want to act against the Arabs and, at the same time, prevent the Arabs from reacting in the only way in which, given the divine dignity of the human soul, the Arabs can react in response to the Zionist action against them. War did not start in the Middle East when President Nasser recovered Arab sovereign rights at Sharm el Sheikh, thus wiping out the last vestiges of the tripartite agression of 1956. Nor did it start with the desperate and heroic attempts of the people of Palestine to resist the Zionist occupation of their ancestral homeland. War was first declared in Palestine by the Zionists in 1897 at the first Zionist CongressFirst Zionist CongressThe First Zionist Congress was the inaugural congress of the Zionist Organization held in Basel , Switzerland, from August 29 to August 31, 1897. It was convened and chaired by Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionism movement...
meeting in Basle, at which it was decided to establish a Jewish state in a country which was 99 per cent Arab in population and land-tenure. The Zionist declaration of war against the Arabs was repeated more blatantly in the great collusion with the British government in the Balfour DeclarationBalfour DeclarationThe Balfour Declaration may refer to:* Balfour Declaration of 1917, a letter from Arthur Balfour on "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people"...
of 1917. For thirty years, under Zionist direction and behind the might of the British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, the infrastructure of the Jewish state was established in Palestine in the teeth of Arab resistance. Every Jew who entered Palestine between 1918 and 1939 did so at the points of British bayonets. The Palestine Arab rebellion of that period was directed against British imperialism for its forcible sponsorship of Zionism." (p. 124)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "It will be recalled that the conflict between the late Patrice LumumbaPatrice LumumbaPatrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
and the colonialists arose primarily because of the effects of Belgium and its trusted tool, Tshombe, to dismember the CongoRepublic of the Congo (Léopoldville)The Republic of the Congo was an independent republic established following the independence granted to the former colony of the Belgian Congo in 1960...
and violate its territorial integrity. Lumumba saw very clearly from the beginning that there would be no hope for the Congo unless its unity was preserved. It is for this reason that our people and so many other peoples in Asia, Africa and elsewhere saw in Lumumba the eloquent and true representative of the progressive force of dynamic African nationalismAfrican nationalismAfrican nationalism is the nationalist political movement for one unified Africa, or the less significant objective of the acknowledgment of African tribes by instituting their own states, as well as the safeguarding of their indigenous customs...
which, despite temporary set backs, is forging ahead with a strong Africa united by the common heritage of its people and sustained by its determination to ensure for itself and its descendants a life of freedom and dignity, to which they have fervently aspired and which has been denied to them for so long." (p. 326)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "The press of many WesternWesternWestern may refer to:* Western , a category of fiction and visual art centered on the American Old West** Western fiction, the Western genre as featured in literature* Western music, a type of American folk music-In geography:...
countries abound with news commentaries and photographs extolling Israel's achievements and exploits, and scarcely hiding the perverse and malicious pleasure felt at the new tragedy that has befallen the people of Palestine. What can the meaning of all this be? Perhaps, in due course, some introspective and compassionate minds in the West might invest some time in soul-searching to analyse this curious phenomenon of Western, almost tribal, jubilation at Arab agony. Can it be that the temporary triumph of Zionist arms offers emotional compensation to some sections of the Western public for the post-Second World War retreat of Western colonialismColonialismColonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
before the advancing tide of Afro-Asian nationalism? Indeed, can we forget that ZionismZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
is in fact chronologically the last wave of European demographic displacement at the expense of an Afro-Asian people?" (p. 118)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "The tragedy of the people of Palestine stands out, unique and unparalleled, in the annals of this or any other century. The Zionist aggression was not merely an armed invasion of a country and the imposition of alien rule on its inhabitants. Its aim was to destroy the ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
community of Palestine and permanently detach from the rest of the Arab world a country that had been an integral part of it for more than fourteen centuries." (p. 77)
- - Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "We consider the action carried out by US forces as illegal and totally unacceptable, we denounce the military operations carried out by the American forces because in effect, it is (inflicting) collective punishmentCollective punishmentCollective punishment is the punishment of a group of people as a result of the behavior of one or more other individuals or groups. The punished group may often have no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions...
on the residents of FallujahFallujahFallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
."
- -On the Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya, April 2004
- "With the exception of the United States, the entire world now accepts the Palestinian position as fair and realistic. The intifadaIntifadaIntifada is an Arabic word which literally means "shaking off", though it is usually translated into English as "uprising" or "resistance" or "rebellion". , not to be confused with the Arabic plural ...
was decisive in bringing about this new situation. The Arab nation owes a debt of gratitude to the young boys and girls who defied the brutal apparatus of Israeli oppression and restored to the people of Palestine their national honour." (p. 169)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "The Iraqi people welcomed with great enthusiasm and joy the victory of the Cuban revolutionCuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, which came only months after our own great national revolution in Iraq." (p. 333)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, like every other great power, is not out to reform the world or make it safe for democracyDemocracyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. Its actions are designed to secure its own interests. The United States government, therefore, is ready to deal with dictators and liberals alike." (p. 334)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991)
- "The British have left nothing to chance; so that even in the unlikely event that the tribal sheikhs of the Federation should one day ask for real independence or demand the withdrawal of nuclear weapons and other military installations from AdenAdenAden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, the British government can veto such demands. Here then is a case of a Territory which the British government does not even pretend to be preparing for independence. It is a military baseMilitary baseA military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
and will remain a military base whether its inhabitants or the people of the other Arab countries who are directly threatened by the base like it or not. In other words Aden is to remain forever a colonyColonyIn politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
. This is a description of colonialismColonialismColonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
at its worst, colonialism which is based purely and simply on greed. I may say, in passing, that at least in this instance we are mercifully spared the hypocrisy of the white man's burden and civilising mission. Aden is to be maintained as a base to protect this system of exploitation and greed." (p. 206)
- -Iraq's Voice at the United Nations, 1959–1969: A Personal Record (Quartet Books, 1991
- "I was against the invasion of Iraq. But after the war I thought I would go back to Iraq in order to help establish a sector of democracy in the country which I think Iraq needed at the time. But unfortunately the United States government came with the firm belief that Iraq’s society by its nature is divided along sectarian lines and therefore the political system which was established had to reflect those differences. I think that was a grave error in my opinion and it opened the way for the sectarian parties to gain power. But they proved to be unequal to the task of governing and the government of the last four years or five years can be characterized in two words. Corrupt and incompetent."
External links
- PACHACHI, Adnan International Who's Who. accessed September 1, 2006.