[Vision2020] 05-18-04 NY Times: U.S. to Halt Payments to Iraqi Group Headed by a Onetime Pentagon Favorite

Art Deco aka W. Fox deco@moscow.com
Tue, 18 May 2004 06:41:38 -0700


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      May 18, 2004
      ALLIANCES
      U.S. to Halt Payments to Iraqi Group Headed by a Onetime Pentagon Favorite
      By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.

      ASHINGTON, May 17 - The United States government has decided to halt
monthly $335,000 payments to the Iraqi National Congress, the group headed by
Ahmad Chalabi, an official with the group said on Monday.

      Mr. Chalabi, a longtime exile leader and now a member of the Iraqi
Governing Council, played a crucial role in persuading the administration that
Saddam Hussein had to be removed from power. But he has since become a lightning
rod for critics of the Bush administration, who say the United States relied on
him too heavily for prewar intelligence that has since proved faulty.

      Mr. Chalabi's group has received at least $27 million in United States
financing in the past four years, the Iraqi National Congress official said.
This includes $335,000 a month as part of a classified program through the
Defense Intelligence Agency, since the summer of 2002, to help gather
intelligence in Iraq. The official said his group had been told that financing
will cease June 30, when occupation authorities are scheduled to turn over
sovereignty to Iraqis.

      Internal reviews by the United States government have found that much of
the information provided as part of the classified program before American
forces invaded Iraq last year was useless, misleading or even fabricated.

      A Pentagon official said Monday night said he was not able immediately to
confirm the status of the Pentagon's relationship with Mr. Chalabi's group. On
April 27, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, asked at a news briefing
about whether the payments to Mr. Chalabi's group were going to end, said, "To
my knowledge, that's not been determined."

      The official of Mr. Chalabi's group said the classified program had
originally been scheduled to end Sept. 30, 2003, but was extended twice - to
Dec. 31, 2003, and then again, to June 30, 2004. The official said he did not
know why the government decided not to extend the program again.

      In recent months, Mr. Chalabi, once viewed as a potential leader of
postwar Iraq, has been at odds with the Bush administration on a series of
policy questions. He has criticized Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations official
who is organizing an Iraqi government to take control of the country on July 1
and whose efforts have been embraced by the White House. He has also been at the
center of a battle between the Governing Council and American occupation
authorities over who should investigate corruption allegations in the United
Nations oil-for-food program for Iraq.

      The official of the Iraqi National Congress defended the group's
intelligence-gathering, saying its role providing weapons intelligence had been
overblown and that it had helped capture 1,500 insurgents, mostly loyalists of
Saddam Hussein.

      Michael Rubin, who spent eight months in Iraq as an adviser to the
Coalition Provisional Authority, the occupation administration, and is now a
resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative research
center in Washington, said: "The truth of the matter is that the I.N.C.-provided
information rolled up a lot of insurgent cells that were targeting American
soldiers. It stopped bombings and terrorist attacks that were aimed at U.S.
troops. That program saved a lot of lives."

      But Mr. Chalabi's critics characterize him as a political opportunist.

      On Sunday, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., the ranking Democrat on the
Foreign Relations Committee, described Mr. Chalabi as a "darling of the vice
president and of some of the civilians in the Defense Department," adding that
Mr. Chalabi is "a problem" and "not part of the solution."

      "There seems to be an unwillingness to break from him," Mr. Biden said on
NBC's "Meet the Press."



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      <H5>May 18, 2004</H5><NYT_KICKER><FONT color=3D#666666=20
      size=3D-1><STRONG>ALLIANCES</STRONG></FONT> =
</NYT_KICKER><NYT_HEADLINE=20
      version=3D"1.0" type=3D" ">
      <H2>U.S. to Halt Payments to Iraqi Group Headed by a Onetime =
Pentagon=20
      Favorite</H2></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE version=3D"1.0" type=3D" =
"><FONT=20
      size=3D-1><STRONG>By RICHARD A. OPPEL =
Jr.</STRONG></FONT><BR></NYT_BYLINE>
      <TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 align=3Dright border=3D0>
        <TBODY>
        <TR>
          <TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><NYT_TEXT>
      <P><IMG height=3D33 alt=3DW=20
      src=3D"http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/dropcap/w.gif" =
width=3D46=20
      align=3Dleft border=3D0>ASHINGTON, May 17 =97 The United States =
government has=20
      decided to halt monthly $335,000 payments to the Iraqi National =
Congress,=20
      the group headed by Ahmad Chalabi, an official with the group said =
on=20
      Monday.</P>
      <P>Mr. Chalabi, a longtime exile leader and now a member of the =
Iraqi=20
      Governing Council, played a crucial role in persuading the =
administration=20
      that Saddam Hussein had to be removed from power. But he has since =
become=20
      a lightning rod for critics of the Bush administration, who say =
the United=20
      States relied on him too heavily for prewar intelligence that has =
since=20
      proved faulty.</P>
      <P>Mr. Chalabi's group has received at least $27 million in United =
States=20
      financing in the past four years, the Iraqi National Congress =
official=20
      said. This includes $335,000 a month as part of a classified =
program=20
      through the Defense Intelligence Agency, since the summer of 2002, =
to help=20
      gather intelligence in Iraq. The official said his group had been =
told=20
      that financing will cease June 30, when occupation authorities are =

      scheduled to turn over sovereignty to Iraqis.</P>
      <P>Internal reviews by the United States government have found =
that much=20
      of the information provided as part of the classified program =
before=20
      American forces invaded Iraq last year was useless, misleading or =
even=20
      fabricated.</P>
      <P>A Pentagon official said Monday night said he was not able =
immediately=20
      to confirm the status of the Pentagon's relationship with Mr. =
Chalabi's=20
      group. On April 27, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, asked =
at a=20
      news briefing about whether the payments to Mr. Chalabi's group =
were going=20
      to end, said, "To my knowledge, that's not been determined."</P>
      <P>The official of Mr. Chalabi's group said the classified program =
had=20
      originally been scheduled to end Sept. 30, 2003, but was extended =
twice =97=20
      to Dec. 31, 2003, and then again, to June 30, 2004. The official =
said he=20
      did not know why the government decided not to extend the program=20
      again.</P>
      <P>In recent months, Mr. Chalabi, once viewed as a potential =
leader of=20
      postwar Iraq, has been at odds with the Bush administration on a =
series of=20
      policy questions. He has criticized Lakhdar Brahimi, the United =
Nations=20
      official who is organizing an Iraqi government to take control of =
the=20
      country on July 1 and whose efforts have been embraced by the =
White House.=20
      He has also been at the center of a battle between the Governing =
Council=20
      and American occupation authorities over who should investigate =
corruption=20
      allegations in the United Nations oil-for-food program for =
Iraq.</P>
      <P>The official of the Iraqi National Congress defended the =
group's=20
      intelligence-gathering, saying its role providing weapons =
intelligence had=20
      been overblown and that it had helped capture 1,500 insurgents, =
mostly=20
      loyalists of Saddam Hussein.</P>
      <P>Michael Rubin, who spent eight months in Iraq as an adviser to =
the=20
      Coalition Provisional Authority, the occupation administration, =
and is now=20
      a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a =
conservative=20
      research center in Washington, said: "The truth of the matter is =
that the=20
      I.N.C.-provided information rolled up a lot of insurgent cells =
that were=20
      targeting American soldiers. It stopped bombings and terrorist =
attacks=20
      that were aimed at U.S. troops. That program saved a lot of =
lives."</P>
      <P>But Mr. Chalabi's critics characterize him as a political=20
      opportunist.</P>
      <P>On Sunday, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., the ranking Democrat on =
the=20
      Foreign Relations Committee, described Mr. Chalabi as a "darling =
of the=20
      vice president and of some of the civilians in the Defense =
Department,"=20
      adding that Mr. Chalabi is "a problem" and "not part of the =
solution."</P>
      <P>"There seems to be an unwillingness to break from him," Mr. =
Biden said=20
      on NBC's "Meet the Press."</P></NYT_TEXT><BR>
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