Iraq Council Disbands; CPA Still in Power

Iraq’s Governing Council, in a widely expected move, named its preferred candidate as the country’s interim president today, after the top choice of the U.S. turned down the position.

Ghazi Ajil Yawer was selected for the largely ceremonial post over former Iraqi Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi, who reportedly was supported by L. Paul Bremer III, who runs the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, and United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

Shortly afterward, the Governing Council reportedly dissolved itself, instead of staying in power until the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis, scheduled on June 30. Yawer, a young tribal leader who also named his cabinet, will remain in the post until nationwide elections next year.

“I think the Iraqi people will see that their destiny is in the hands of their leaders,” Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said today. He said the leaders will take full sovereignty, as well as have full support from the United States.

In remarks at the White House today, President Bush told reporters that the move brings Iraqis one step closer to democracy.

As the news spread, car bombs exploded in Baghdad and the northern city of Beiji, killing 14 people, authorities said.

The political standoff over who would become Iraq’s next president had bogged down in recent days. Bremer ordered the U.S.-appointed Iraqi body to postpone its vote on Monday for the second time in two days, aides and council members said.

Dan Senor, a spokesman for Bremer, denied that the U.S. civilian administrator had halted the council vote. “Ambassador Bremer doesn’t call their meetings and he doesn’t cancel their meetings.”

The battle over the presidency comes as the U.S. prepares to transfer authority to an interim government by month’s end. To increase the new body’s credibility, the U.S. invited the U.N. to help select the new Iraqi leaders.

The council last week abruptly endorsed one of its members, Iyad Allawi, for prime minister, over Brahimi’s choice of Hussein Shahristani, a relatively unknown Shiite nuclear scientist.

Today, Allawi said that to help defeat “the enemies of Iraq,” the new government needs assistance from the U.S. military and other countries.

“We will need the participation of the multinational forces to help in defeating the enemies of Iraq. We will enter into alliances with our allies to accomplish that,” he said.

Though many American officials favored the selection of Allawi, on Monday officials said that Bremer had selected Brahimi — not the council — to assemble the interim government.

Adil Abdel-Hahdi, an official of a powerful Shiite political party, was named finance minister; Hazem Shalan Khuzaei became defense minister; and Thamir Ghadbhan was picked as oil minister.

Times staff writer Edmund Sanders in Baghdad and Times wire services contributed to this report.