Adnan Pachachi

1 Diplomatic and political career
- 1.1 Events of 2003–2004
- 1.2 Political activity since 2005
2 Quotes
3 References
4 External links

Adnan Muzahim Amin al-Pachachi
عدنان الباجه جي

Born 14 May 1923 (1923-05-14) (age 87)
Baghdad, Mesopotamia (now Iraq)
Political party Assembly of Independent Democrats
Alma mater Victoria College, Alexandria
Religion Sunni Islam

Adnan Muzahim Amin al-Pachachi (Arabic: عدنان الباجه جي‎) (born May 14, 1923) is an Iraqi politician. Pachachi was Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1959 to 1965 and its Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1965 to 1967; he again served as Permanent Representative to the UN from 1967 to 1968. After the Ba'ath Party seized power in 1968, he spent a long period in exile. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Pachachi has been an important figure in Iraqi politics, often described as Iraq's elder statesman.

Diplomatic and political career

Pachachi was born in Baghdad. The son of Muzahim al-Pachachi, he is the scion of a Sunni Arab family with a long tradition in Iraqi politics and a graduate from Victoria College, Alexandria in Egypt. He was Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1959 to 1965 during the revolutionary regime of Abdul Karim Qassim. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1965 to 1967, during the regime of presidents Abdul Salam Arif and Abdul Rahman Arif, and then Permanent Representative to the UN for a second time from 1967 to 1968. In the December of 1965, he was presented with a plaque by the Palestine Liberation Organization "in recognition and appreciation of his dedication to and distinguished services for Palestine in the United Nations."

He spent most of the years of Baathist rule in exile in Abu Dhabi after leaving Iraq. While in the United Arab Emirates, he acted as advisor to the Emir. He describes himself as a fervent Arab Nationalist, in his memoirs he wrote that he is unable to accept Israel's existence and that Iraq and Syria should unite into one Arab state. Pachachi renounced his nearly 40-year-old view that Kuwait is rightfully part of Iraq in 1999.

Events of 2003–2004

In February 2003, he reportedly blasted the George W. Bush Administration's foreign policy hawks as a Zionist lobby. Pachachi dismissed US plans to redraw the map of the Middle East to benefit Washington and set up an American military administration in Baghdad. "These statements come from the Zionist lobby in the United States which thinks that overthrowing Saddam Hussein will bring Arab reconciliation with Israel. That is stupid because if a democratic regime is created in Iraq, it will display greater hatred for Israel. This lobby is opposed to me playing any role in Iraq” Pachachi said.

He had very strongly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq and was instrumental in creating an exile deal that the UAE offered Saddam Hussein in a last minute effort to avoid the impending war and suffering of the Iraqi people. Hussein allegedly accepted the offer to try to halt the invasion and bring elections to Iraq within six months, according to Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; however, the invasion still went ahead. In February 2003, Pachachi refused a seat on the US-appointed six-member leadership council set up at a meeting of major opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

Pachachi vocally opposed the process of awarding out contracts to US firms after the ousting of the Ba'ath regime and criticised Washington over its plans for a US-led civilian authority to hand out reconstruction contracts without the approval of an elected Iraqi government. In April 2003, the US government awarded the Bechtel Corporation a $680-million-contract to help rebuild Iraq's power, water and sewage systems as well as repair air and sea ports, Pachachi slammed this decision saying "No one has the right to commit Iraq to obligations and costs, only an Iraqi government can do that. A parliament should also endorse the agreements."

After much deliberation Pachachi agreed to be part of the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) in July 2003. He also chaired the committee responsible for drafting the Transitional Administrative Law, Iraq's interim constitution. When Pachachi returned to Baghdad to take up these positions, he was accompanied by his daughter Maysoon, who made a documentary (titled Return to the Land of Wonders) in which her father figures prominently. The CounterPunch journalist Andrew Cockburn commented on the IGC: "I think one person who deserves credit is Adnan Pachachi. From the beginning when they moved into Baghdad and seized nice houses, he was the only one that insisted on paying rent. He has always exhibited integrity."

In April 2004, during the US military operations in the city of Fallujah, Pachachi spoke out emotionally claiming the actions taken by US forces were "illegal and totally unacceptable". Two months later, on 1 June 2004, he was reportedly nominated to be the next President of Iraq by United Nations Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. He chose to publicly decline the post, stating that he refused to be seen as a puppet of the United States. Pachachi said he rejected the post "in order to preserve my reputation and my honor."

Political activity since 2005

A liberal secularist, Dr. Pachachi put together a list of candidates called the Assembly of Independent Democrats (his party Democratic Centrist Tendency was included) to contest Iraq's January 2005 legislative election. Prior to the elections Pachachi accused the United States of interfering in Iraq's affairs by insisting that the January 30th election go ahead on that date. Sunni Arab political and religious leaders, including Pachachi, called for a six month delay arguing that the violence sweeping the country meant a free poll could not go ahead. "The strange thing is that America and Iran, who differ on everything, agree on one issue of holding elections on January 30th," Pachachi told reporters. "It is not the business of the United States or Iran or any other country to talk about delaying or sticking to the date. We are very upset by such attempts as foreign states sharing their opinion in this issue. Let us try to agree among ourselves because external attempts might deter any agreement."

For the December 2005 elections, he was elected as a member of the list headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Following Arab political tradition, Pachachi opened the first session of the Iraqi National Assembly in April 2005, as the oldest member elected.

In January 2007 Pachachi blamed occupying forces for the sectarian violence in Iraq “The vast majority of Iraqis are not involved in sectarian violence, they want to live in peace. Militias act in the name of a sect. I blame this on the occupying power, which established a system based on division.” He is reported to have close links with Dr. Muhamad Ayash al-Kubaisi and the Association of Muslim Scholars.

At the time of the March 2010 parliamentary election, Pachachi again stood as a candidate on Allawi's Iraqi List. He expressed serious concerns about the credibility of the election: "There have been wide reports of intimidation of voters; there are certain to be attempts at voter fraud". Pachachi suggested that the government could be planning fraud due to its alleged printing of seven million unnecessary ballots. Nevertheless, he was hopeful, arguing that voters were more interested in the candidates' ability than in sectarian concerns and that "if they are allowed to [vote] without intimidation or fear, this could be a watershed moment and an example to the rest of the Middle East."