WORLD NEWS

April 21, 2003

Building A New Iraq

Retired U.S. General Jay Garner arrives in Baghdad to help rebuild the country as a democracy

Signs that a new Iraq is in the making were clear on Monday, the day retired United States General Jay Garner arrived in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Garner is leading a special office that was set up by the American government to help rebuild the roads, water supplies and cities in Iraq. The office is also charged with quickly turning authority over to the Iraqi people.

Electricity and Water Supplies Are Top Priorities

Garner's first priority is to restore electricity and water to the Iraqis "as soon as we can." Garner's long-term goal is to help Iraq set up a democratic government that represents the interests of all Iraqis. On Monday, Garner stressed that he is not the new leader of Iraq. "The new ruler of Iraq is going to be an Iraqi. I don't rule anything," Garner said.

The Iraqis, meanwhile, are worried that the Americans will remain in their country for too long. Many Shiites Muslim Iraqis, for example, have rallied against the U.S. role in rebuilding. The Shiites, who were not represented in Saddam Hussein's government, want to make sure that all Iraqis are represented in the new government.

A Historic March

Another sign of a new Iraq: On Monday, hundreds of thousands of Shiites made their way to the holy city of Karbala. The Shiites are a Muslim Arab group that make up more than 60 percent of Iraq's 24 million people. The Shiites are participating in a pilgrimage to mark the death of the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Mohamed.

Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, the pilgrimage was forbidden because Hussein is a Sunni Muslim. Sunni Muslim Arabs make up 20 percent of Iraq's population. As many as 2 million Shiites are expected to take part in pilgrimages to Karbala and another holy city, Najaf, this week.

The Search for Saddam and His Supporters

Meanwhile, the search for Saddam Hussein continues. It is still not known whether the Iraqi leader was killed or injured during a bombing in Baghdad. Over the weekend, two more top members of Saddam’s government were captured. One of those men was Hussein's son-in-law. The other is an Iraqi scientist who worked on Iraq’s weapons program.

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