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Middle ground solutions

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IRAQ: 2 New Middle Ground Solutions
by Dr. Hasmukh Parekh and Ms. Rajul Parekh (email)

1. Under the supervision of a U.N. council made up of U.N. member representatives and local Iraqis, organize a democratic government in a small selected area of Iraq (see note) with or without Saddam Hussein's consent. In the rest of Iraq, simultaneously conduct inspections. details

OR

2. Under the supervision of a U.N. council largely made up of Middle Eastern countries, Saddam Hussein would voluntarily forfeit his power while remaining within Iraq.(see note) This would be followed by vigorous and speedy inspections and democratic elections. Hussein may be allowed to contest the elections. details

Details as follows:

Solution No. 1

1. U.N.-supervised democratic rule in a selected region of Iraq.

2. Remove the authority of Saddam Hussein from that region.

3. Create a supervisory council made up of U.N. member representatives in addition to local Iraqis from that region.

4. Organize the basic infrastructure and facilities in that region.

5. Ensure freedom of the press.

6. Allow peaceful activity to occur, such as trade with neighboring Iraqi provinces. Maintain vigil regarding spying, sabotage, etc.

7. After necessary stability is achieved, arrange local elections and give maximum power to the elected bodies.

8. In other words, let this region function as a small, independent country.

9. This may become a catalyst for spreading democratic rule to neighboring Iraqi provinces.

10. In the meantime, inspections should proceed thoroughly, with insistence on full Iraqi cooperation. Eventually, the whole process will come to its logical peaceful end.

Sooner or later, the benefits of such a step will become obvious to the world, including to peace activists as well as to the people of the Middle East.

Solution No. 2

1. Under the auspices of the United Nations, appoint a governing council to temporarily run the whole of Iraq.

2. About 75% of its members should consist of representatives from Middle Eastern countries, and the other 25% from the rest of the world.

3. Obviously, Saddam Hussein should voluntarily step aside. He may retire into self-exile within Iraq itself.

4. This will facilitate quick and thorough inspections.

5. Once this process is over, general elections should be held under the supervision of the U.N.

6. Saddam Hussein and his party should also be allowed to run for election. If he has almost 100% support from the Iraqi people, as he claims to have, he should have no difficulty winning these elections.

7. But if he loses, it will not be difficult to chart out a path somewhat as follows:

8. This U.N.-appointed council should remain there as a supervisory and advisory body in a democratic Iraq for some time.

9. Once everything is stable and the U.N. supervisory council is no longer needed, a legally binding provision should be made to ensure that Iraq does not develop weapons of mass destruction or indulge in any form of terrorism in the future.

At this stage, it may not be appropriate to discuss next two points -- perhaps the Iraqi people would like to sort it out themselves.

10. The democratically elected government of Iraq, and therefore the Iraqi people, should decide if Saddam and his followers should be tried in Iraqi courts.

11. Similarly, it should be left up to the international courts whether he should be tried in a manner similar to Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic.

note:There is normally no interference in the internal affairs of a country; but this situation is unique in view of Iraq's breach of the United Nations resolutions.

Dr. Hasmukh Parekh and Ms. Rajul Parekh (email)

"Under the auspices of the United Nations, appoint a governing council to temporarily run the whole of Iraq"

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