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In Iraq, Can the Coalition Meet the Deadline for Self Rule?

Aired February 19, 2004 - 14:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Can the U.S.-led coalition fill in all the blanks and satisfy competing groups in Iraq before June 30th? Joining me to talk about this, Les Campbell at the National Democratic Institute.
Les, good to see you.

All right, you've been there about six times now. You're going to be helping the CPA and providing expertise on voting. You got a huge job ahead of you. Where the heck do you begin?

LES CAMPBELL, NATL. DEM. INST.: It's a big job. But I think where anyone has to begin, and where Ambassador Bremer is beginning, is getting a buy-in from the Iraqis. Election is not just a technical event. It's about people discussing and ultimately making a decision on how they are governed on the decisions that govern their every day lives.

So the first step is to make sure the Iraqis are fully aware of and get to discuss the process coming up.

PHILLIPS: All right, so you have to train and hire thousands of Iraqis to be election officials on polling and the commission level, right? What about identified polling places? That's going to lead me into security. How do you train the Iraqis and then identifying the polling places?

CAMPBELL: Well, you're absolutely right. I mean once you get by these political issues in terms of people buying into a process, then you have to find not just Iraqi officials, probably thousands of them, you need a number of international experts to advise and to help those Iraqi officials.

And then if you think of any kind of election where you would have thousands, if not tens of thousands of polling places, you'll need schools, you'll need the former post offices, you'll need public places. They may have to be renovated. They may need security renovations, for example, walls or traffic may need to be cut off near them. So there are also -- there is an enormous sort of mountain of technical tasks ahead as well before an election can be held.

PHILLIPS: All right, you said buying into the process. What you're describing sounds a lot like elections we have here in the United States. How do you think that's going to unfold, and is there a certain type of election you will advise the CPA on what you think would work, should work? CAMPBELL: Well, there are a number of people that are right now within the CPA that are looking at a lot of issues around what could be described as election law, party law, finance law.

Just as an example, there has not been a decision yet by the Iraqi Governing Council on what the exact body to be elected will be. Will it be a legislature, or parliament like in Great Britain? will it be -- resemble more a congressional system? Or maybe even more importantly, what type of election system, direct district elections for individuals, proportional representation where people vote for parties and vote for platforms and ideas? Will it be based on a national constituency, the whole country voting at once for parties? Would it be broken down into provinces? All these issues haven't been fully resolved. And I think that these are issues the Iraqi Governing Council has to grapple with in the next several weeks.

PHILLIPS: And how do you implement or insert Al Sistani, you know, the ayatollah, into all of this.

CAMPBELL: Well, I think Ayatollah Al Sistani has obviously been an important figure. He's been enormously influential. But in addition to Ayatollah Sistani, there are parties springing up all over Iraq representing other interests, the Sunni interest, the Kurdish people in northern Iraq have very strong parties. There are many, many people that have an interest in this event.

And one of the, I think, most important tasks over the next several weeks is going to be to hold maybe a series of round tables, town halls, different types of meetings with people who have ideas about this process and see if they can gather input. Al Sistani, the ayatollah, is an important man, but he a only one voice, an important voice, but I think the CPA is already endeavoring to gather the thoughts of many, many others.

PHILLIPS: Les, finally, when we're seeing the death of Iraqis -- well, Iraqis and soldiers dying almost daily, when you look at something as massive as an election like this, how do you advise the CPA on security? What are some specifics you're telling them?

CAMPBELL: Well, security is really not my area, the area of my organization. We deal mostly with political processes, parties, civic education, voter education. But the only advice I would give is that people, Iraqi voters, Iraqi parties, Iraqi candidates, people who actually have the courage to stand up and run for office, have to have some assurance that they won't become targets. And in fact, there have been a number of assassinations of solid, good, constructive Iraqi political activists.

So the whole question of providing security for those who have the courage to enter into this democratic Iraqi -- potential democratic Iraqi political system is key. My only advice -- I'm not an expert -- would be that securing the whole question of elections, making people feel comfortable that they can participate, has got to be a huge priority for the U.S. military and the coalition as a whole.

PHILLIPS: Les Campbell, National Democratic Institute, thank you.

CAMPBELL: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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Aired February 19, 2004 - 14:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Can the U.S.-led coalition fill in all the blanks and satisfy competing groups in Iraq before June 30th? Joining me to talk about this, Les Campbell at the National Democratic Institute.
Les, good to see you.

All right, you've been there about six times now. You're going to be helping the CPA and providing expertise on voting. You got a huge job ahead of you. Where the heck do you begin?

LES CAMPBELL, NATL. DEM. INST.: It's a big job. But I think where anyone has to begin, and where Ambassador Bremer is beginning, is getting a buy-in from the Iraqis. Election is not just a technical event. It's about people discussing and ultimately making a decision on how they are governed on the decisions that govern their every day lives.

So the first step is to make sure the Iraqis are fully aware of and get to discuss the process coming up.

PHILLIPS: All right, so you have to train and hire thousands of Iraqis to be election officials on polling and the commission level, right? What about identified polling places? That's going to lead me into security. How do you train the Iraqis and then identifying the polling places?

CAMPBELL: Well, you're absolutely right. I mean once you get by these political issues in terms of people buying into a process, then you have to find not just Iraqi officials, probably thousands of them, you need a number of international experts to advise and to help those Iraqi officials.

And then if you think of any kind of election where you would have thousands, if not tens of thousands of polling places, you'll need schools, you'll need the former post offices, you'll need public places. They may have to be renovated. They may need security renovations, for example, walls or traffic may need to be cut off near them. So there are also -- there is an enormous sort of mountain of technical tasks ahead as well before an election can be held.

PHILLIPS: All right, you said buying into the process. What you're describing sounds a lot like elections we have here in the United States. How do you think that's going to unfold, and is there a certain type of election you will advise the CPA on what you think would work, should work? CAMPBELL: Well, there are a number of people that are right now within the CPA that are looking at a lot of issues around what could be described as election law, party law, finance law.

Just as an example, there has not been a decision yet by the Iraqi Governing Council on what the exact body to be elected will be. Will it be a legislature, or parliament like in Great Britain? will it be -- resemble more a congressional system? Or maybe even more importantly, what type of election system, direct district elections for individuals, proportional representation where people vote for parties and vote for platforms and ideas? Will it be based on a national constituency, the whole country voting at once for parties? Would it be broken down into provinces? All these issues haven't been fully resolved. And I think that these are issues the Iraqi Governing Council has to grapple with in the next several weeks.

PHILLIPS: And how do you implement or insert Al Sistani, you know, the ayatollah, into all of this.

CAMPBELL: Well, I think Ayatollah Al Sistani has obviously been an important figure. He's been enormously influential. But in addition to Ayatollah Sistani, there are parties springing up all over Iraq representing other interests, the Sunni interest, the Kurdish people in northern Iraq have very strong parties. There are many, many people that have an interest in this event.

And one of the, I think, most important tasks over the next several weeks is going to be to hold maybe a series of round tables, town halls, different types of meetings with people who have ideas about this process and see if they can gather input. Al Sistani, the ayatollah, is an important man, but he a only one voice, an important voice, but I think the CPA is already endeavoring to gather the thoughts of many, many others.

PHILLIPS: Les, finally, when we're seeing the death of Iraqis -- well, Iraqis and soldiers dying almost daily, when you look at something as massive as an election like this, how do you advise the CPA on security? What are some specifics you're telling them?

CAMPBELL: Well, security is really not my area, the area of my organization. We deal mostly with political processes, parties, civic education, voter education. But the only advice I would give is that people, Iraqi voters, Iraqi parties, Iraqi candidates, people who actually have the courage to stand up and run for office, have to have some assurance that they won't become targets. And in fact, there have been a number of assassinations of solid, good, constructive Iraqi political activists.

So the whole question of providing security for those who have the courage to enter into this democratic Iraqi -- potential democratic Iraqi political system is key. My only advice -- I'm not an expert -- would be that securing the whole question of elections, making people feel comfortable that they can participate, has got to be a huge priority for the U.S. military and the coalition as a whole.

PHILLIPS: Les Campbell, National Democratic Institute, thank you.

CAMPBELL: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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