Delegates gather for National Assembly conference

Описание: (15 Aug 2004)

1. Top shot of people at conference foyer
2. Midshot of people talking at conference
3. Wideshot of people in foyer before conference
4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Adal Aldahan, delegate at National Conference
"There are representatives missing, there are parties that are missing. Each one has their own reason for not attending. The general impression on this conference is that it has been organised in haste with lots of faults and errors. How shall I say? It was disorganised, the people have not participated directly in the election of the delegates and this is one of the faults of this conference.
Q: So is this an appointed conference or an elected one?
You can't say that it is appointed and you can't say that it is an elected conference. An appointed conference would have been more directly appointed whereas an elected conference would have involved direct voting (by the people). This one was elected over two phases."
5. Various delegates in foyer
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Youndam Hana, former member of the disolved Iraqi Governing Council
"It's a very important step in the political process in the new Iraq. We are just to establish the interim assembly which is the third factor of the state which was destroyed. So it's a historical moment and after two days we will have an interim assembly. As I said on the way to go on with our political process, democracy process and freedom in Iraq. This is the first time in history all the diversities of Iraqis are gathering together with each other and establishing the interim assembly."
7. Topshot of delegates
8. Various of women participants
9. Conference poster of Iraqi boy

STORYLINE:

Security was tight in central Baghdad on Sunday morning as officials convened for the National Conference aimed at selecting a 100 member legislative body.

In part of the city authorities declared a daytime curfew between 0800 and 1600 local time (0400-1200gmt).

The gathering of 1,300 delegates will help elect a 100-member national assembly that is to shepherd the country to its first democratic elections scheduled to be held by the end of January.

The conference was originally planned for the end of July under a law passed by the outgoing U.S. occupation authority.

But many key factions said they would boycott the meeting.

Some of the country's multiethnic provinces had difficulty in choosing slates of delegates.

Conference organizers said two weeks ago they were delaying the meeting at the request of the United Nations, which wanted to try to persuade more factions to participate.

But Muqtada al-Sadr's followers currently fighting US and Iraqi forces in the southern city of Najaf said they would continue to boycott the meeting.

The Association of Muslim Scholars, a religious group with links to insurgents, also said it would not attend because of the interim government's reliance on the U.S.-led coalition.

Despite the boycotts, 70 different groups have agreed to participate.

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