[PEN-L:36307] THe Loneliness of Hussein's Long-Shot Successor

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/30/wsadd30.xml/
US rebuff for Saddam's would-be successor
By Damien McElroy in Dokan, northern Iraq
(Filed: 30/03/2003)


In an orange bungalow on a hill overlooking an aquamarine lake, the man who
would be the next Iraqi leader spent last week furiously working the phones
to London and Washington, in search of the recognition that he has craved
for decades.

Ahmad Chalabi, 57, an urbane, British-educated former banker who used to be
based in Knightsbridge, hoped that the Americans would support his plans to
lead an Iraqi interim authority. By Friday, his hopes had been largely
dashed when Zalmay Khalilzad, President Bush's special envoy to the Iraqi
opposition, refused to back his proposals.

It was a bitter blow to Mr Chalabi's hopes of being Iraq's next president.
While his cashmere-clad aides at the lakeside headquarters in Dokan say that
Mr Chalabi is "related to everybody and respected by all", it is claimed by
others that ordinary people view him as deeply unpopular. Recent opinion
polls report that just nine per cent of people in the Kurdish region want Mr
Chalabi to become president.

"This man is so corrupt, so hungry for power, the people don't want him,"
claims a former Kurdish minister. He added that he would be happy to have Mr
Chalabi as a dinner party guest but not as a political leader. A number of
local people have claimed that Mr Chalabi does not pay his debts. "Chalabi
is really unpopular here for his high lifestyle and failure to pay his
bills," said Baravan Dohuk, a lawyer in Arbil.

He claims to have access to scores of writs served against Mr Chalabi that
were suppressed. Mohammad Nair, who now drives a taxi, was once a prosperous
shopkeeper in the town of Arbil. He says that his business went bust in 1995
after Mr Chalabi requisitioned 25,000 dinars (£5,000) worth of blankets for
his embryonic army. Mr Nadir claims that he has never paid his debt. "There
are many people like me: 10 or more of my friends alone, who are owed money
by Mr Chalabi," Mr Nair said. "That is why he never comes here to Arbil. If
he did, we would grab him and hold him until he paid us back."

All these accusations are denied by Mr Chalabi who says they are politically
motivated. His deputy said: "We have never seen these papers [writs]. We
would love to meet these individuals or see the papers. If there is
anything, it can be rectified. There is a political attempt to undermine Mr
Chalabi with all this." Francis Brookes, a Washington-based lobbyist who is
now ensconced in Mr Chalabi's Dokan headquarters, told The Telegraph:
"You're not talking to the right people. Talk to people who don't speak
English and you'll get a different picture."

Mr Chalabi took up residence in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq at the end
of last year. He is in charge of the Iraqi opposition's relations with
America. Until last week, he believed that the White House was on the brink
of recognising him as Saddam's replacement, and recognising the Iraqi
opposition as the alternative government to the Ba'athist regime.

The call never came. Mr Khalilzad told the opposition it must bide its time
until a ceasefire was in place. Mr Chalabi's opposition says it remains
ready to form a national coalition "at the moment of liberation".