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Source: AFP
Iraqi politician Adnan Pachachi warned today that Falluja was "not the end of the story" and that the US-led offensive there could trigger even further violence.
"It seems probable that Falluja is not the end of the story. They (insurgents) have already shown that they are able to perpetrate all kinds of discriminate violence all over the country," he told BBC television in an interview.
The Sunni Muslim elder statesman, one of the leaders of the post-war Iraqi Governing Council and a former Iraqi foreign minister from the pre-Saddam Hussein era, said the offensive to drive out and destroy rebels in Falluja could backfire.
"I am afraid that if there's going to be an excessive use of force this will be counterproductive and will create a great deal of anger and resentment," he told the British broadcaster.
When pressed whether he thought the US soldiers used excessive violence, he said: "I hope there won't be (an excessive use of force), but of course, you know, the fight is ... not balanced at all. On one side you have overwhelming force, on the other you have really, very, very little."
The greatest danger in the battle for Falluja was that it appeared to target Sunni Muslims, since their participation was critical to any Iraqi political process, he said.
"Unfortunately some people are already feeling that the Sunni population are being singled out ... which of course is not quite true.
"The worst thing that can happen is the feeling that somehow action is being taken against a particular section of the population. Because without Sunni full participation in the electoral process, I think the elections will fail," Pachachi said.
Sunni and Shi'ite figures have condemned the Falluja assault, with Iraq's main Sunni party quitting the government and calling for a boycott of elections due to be held in January.
The US military said today they were in control of 70 per cent of the city.
At this rate, it said it expected to achieve total control of the Sunni rebel enclave within 48 hours, even as insurgents regrouped in the south and fought from inside central mosques and other buildings.
Pachachi, an octogenarian, was originally named as Iraqi president on June 1 but turned down the post after being denounced as the candidate of the United States.
Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar, a Sunni tribal leader, became president, a largely ceremonial role.
< Message edited by Admin -- 11/12/2004 12:31:54 PM >
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