US plans to convene a conference for the Iraqi opposition
Iraq-USA, Politics, 3/2/2002

The US state department has announced it is planning to convene a conference for the Iraqi opposition, separate from the "army officers coalition" which the main Iraqi opposition groups want to convene in the US.

The spokesman for the US state department Richard Boutcher said in a press statement that he thinks that the US defense department "the Pentagon" is cooperating with the Iraqi opposition over another plan to gather more than 200 Iraqi army officers in the USA this month in order to discuss toppling Baghdad's government.

Boutcher added that it will be difficult to arrange entry visas for a huge number of officers because they have the status of refugees abroad, besides the US State Department did not propose financing a conference for the military men. He explained that the organization of the Iraqi National Congress organization is contacting the Pentagon concerning certain arrangements.

Boutcher indicated that the US state department thinks that it would be better to convene a conference including a vaster base containing military and political figures outside the US under the supervision of non governmental organization that are not specified yet.

For his part, the colonel at the US naval force Dave Laban said that the US state department is working with the opposition Iraqi national Congress organization in order to organize a conference whose date or the venue to convene it are not determined yet, noting that the US defense department knows about these efforts but does not directly participate in it.

For his part, the advisor for the Iraqi National Congress Francis Broek said that even the US State Department seems split about the issue of convening the conference. He said he had discussed with the State Department secretary Mark Grossman this matter and he supported the convening of the " army officers conference," noting that Grossman was briefed on this proposal including the financing noting that this is a great idea.

Previous Stories:
  U.S. Iraqi opposition discuss broad-based conference   (3/1/2002)
  The US denies sending forces into Iraq   (2/28/2002)
  Iraq intercepts American, British planes   (2/23/2002)

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