“..Talk about grandiose plans and a lot of promises but there were no decisions," De Silva

BAGHDAD, May 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The U.S. attempts to rebuild the country were overly dominated by "ideology" and risked triggering a violent backlash, the U.N.'s most senior humanitarian official in Iraq warned Monday, May 26.

Ramiro Lopes da Silva said the sudden decision last week to demobilise 400,000 Iraqi soldiers without any re-employment program could generate a "low-intensity conflict" in the countryside.

"The reconstruction of minds is as important. We cannot force through an ideological process too much," Da Silva, 54, a Portuguese U.N. official, was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

The demobilization decision triggered demonstrations in northeastern Iraqi province of Diyala, with repeated calls on the U.S. forces to pull out of their countries, according to an Al-Jazeera report from the area. 

The first three weeks after the U.S. military occupation were characterised by "talk about grandiose plans and a lot of promises but there were no decisions," said Lopez De Silva.

His unusually frank comments echoed concerns of angered Iraqis that the “occupying powers” would not honor their pledges to spread peace, stability and democracy in the war-torn country.

The United States and Britain launched their aggression on Iraq mainly to rid the country of alleged weapons of mass destruction but, so far, no such weapons have been found.

Da Silva also said poor security remained the overwhelming problem holding back the restoration of power, water and health services as well as the political process.

"The situation is improving but law and order is still the key," he said.

It is clear many U.N. officials are frustrated to have been excluded from the running of post-war Iraq, as most of the decisions taken at the U.S. occupation authority's headquarters in Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace in Baghdad are made by Pentagon appointees who report to Donald Rumsfeld, the US defense secretary, according to the Guardian.

Arab specialists from the state department have been largely excluded and while British diplomats have had some influence on decision-making, the U.N. has hardly been consulted, the daily added.

Da Silva said the UN "disagreed" with some of the decisions made by the U.S. occupation forces in Baghdad.

He was surprised the decision to disband the Iraqi military had not been accompanied by an attempt to reintegrate soldiers into society.

"The way the decision was taken leaves them in a vacuum, our concern is that if there is nothing for them out there soon this will be a potential source of additional destabilization," the U.N official said.

Even U.S. generals admitted at the time they feared the decision could worsen the lawlessness and looting. Da Silva said the demobilization, along with tightened security in the capital, could force looters into the less well-guarded countryside.

"What you are potentially going to create is more banditry and a low-intensity conflict in the rural areas," he said. "These edicts are seen very much just as ideological statements."

Four U.S. soldiers were killed and six others wounded in attacks by Iraqi gunmen, raising fears of the dangers in the country.

“On Paper”

Da Silva also questioned the U.S. military’s de-Ba'athification program, under which up to 30,000 Baath party officials are automatically excluded from office.

"Many bureaucrats who have important experience that would help the new government were only Baath party members on paper," he said.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Iraq expressed his hope that the rooting out of Baath Party members from public office was done "cleanly and fairly".

"What's needed is a fair process. Criminals have to be punished and the others rehabilitated," he said, noting that many civil servants during Saddam Hussein's rule were obliged to become members of the Baath Party.

"Iraq's civil courts could be rehabilitated to judge the criminals," da Silva added.

The U.N. official also warned of the risk of getting rid of some of the top officials in state institutions who he said were needed to relaunch Iraq's administrative and economic machines.

U.S. military officials fired the police chief for west Baghdad against the advice of several American soldiers. Abdul Razak al-Abbassi, who for the past three weeks has helped bring hundreds of officers back to work, was dismissed because he had been allegedly a senior member of the Baath party under Saddam.