US General Garner arrives to sceptical and suspicious Iraqis

By PHIL REEVES

5.45pm BAGHDAD - Wrapped in impenetrable sunglasses and even more impenetrable self-confidence, the retired United States general with the job of resolving the mess of post-war Iraq yesterday (Mon) ventured into Baghdad for the first time.

It was an event laden with significance for Iraqis, who view the 64-year-old Jay Garner with deep suspicion, not least because of his pro-Israel record but also because many - particularly the Islamic groups - have no wish to be governed by an old soldier whom they view as a colonialist.

And it was a key moment in the American and British campaign against Iraq, fought in defiance of the views of much of the world.

As the gum-chewing general planted his sturdy brown shoes on the soil of the city that was so recently ruled by Saddam Hussein, there was a sense that another chapter was about to begin.

Predictably dressed in khaki, the general - head of the so-called Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) - flew into Iraq from Kuwait in a C-130 as the sun was rising over the stark, oil-rich landscape accompanied by a selected pool of reporters.

From the moment he arrived, he was talking the talk, undeterred by the continued shooting in Baghdad, looting and arson attacks, power shortages, anti-American demonstrations, the creeping return of junior Baathists, and Shia moves to take control their own neighbourhoods in the vacuum left by the regime's collapse.

There was no sign, too, of any concern on his weathered features about the US's failure so far to capture Saddam and most of his top men, or to find any chemical weapons - the ostensible reason for the war which has now delivered him his new job.

This was "a great day", he declared. Iraq is "one of the brightest, most vibrant, richest societies in the world." and place that once "set the standards for the entire world".

He continued - apparently oblivious of the fury felt by Iraqis over failure of the American troops to protect their cultural and historical treasures and ministries from destruction - "Civilisation began here. Government began here. Laws began here."

He continued: "What we need to do from this day forward is to give birth to a new system in Iraq. It begins with us working together, but it is hard work and it takes a long time. We will help you as long as you want us to."

The "coalition" forces had already "done an awful lot here" - a view strongly disputed by many residents of Baghdad who are still without electricity.

But, he said, more would be done in the city, and throughout the countryside.

Huge and complex issues now face the American general and supporters in the Pentagon, White House and Downing Street - such as how to create the kind of Iraqi government that will serve their interests and knit together the country's conflicting components, the formulation of a constitution, and - eventually - the move to election in an unstable and probably violent environment.

But yesterday, as he swept into the battered, rubbish-strewn city in a GMC Suburban followed by a convoy of nine US Humvees equipped with 50mm heavy machineguns, the general had more mundane and immediate matters on his mind: power, water and healthcare.

His schedule was clearly tailored to show that he was here to with practical matters - a visit to a hospital, a knocked-out power plant and a sewage works

Watched by largely impassive passers-by - although there were a few smiles and waves - he went to the 700-bed Yarmuk Hospital in south-west Baghdad, which like many others is partially damaged by the bombing and post-war looting.
Among his party was Tim Cross, Britain's highest-ranking delegate in ORHA.

The welcome was less than ecstatic. "I want to cry, because these are only words," said a doctor who gave her name as Iman after listening to the general make a presentation to around 100 medical staff and students.

"Saddam Hussein was an unjust ruler, but maybe one day we could have got rid of him, and not had these foreigners come in to our country."

The general had no sooner received an official welcome speech from the hospital director, than he was confronted by the head of surgery, Mohammed Alwan, pointing out that his staff did not want foreigners coming in to take their jobs.

"All of us are capable of doing our work, most were trained in the US and UK,' the doctor said.

Scepticism ran deep, but it was not universal. Some Iraqis were prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"He talks well, we feel we are free to express ourselves, not like the bad one, the previous one," said Dr Saad Mohammed.

But most were not. Dr Luay al Hafidh, a specialist physician, elicited nodding heads from colleagues when he said: "We don't think lightly about an American general running Iraq. He's a foreigner running our country. This is the usual talk of a foreign invader at the beginning in order to gain the hearts of the people. I don't know about his background or his capabilities but I know he is a retired general . Can he run a civilian organisation? I doubt it."

Asil Abdul, a 20-year-old dental student said she found Gen Garner's speech patronising and unconvincing. "It's just promises. We need things to be done. All he said was he believes in us and he thinks we can have a better life in future. It's just like the old days, all talk. Nothing has changed, just the faces."

- INDEPENDENT