BAGHDAD, 12 January 2004 — Iraq’s US-appointed Governing Council unveiled yesterday guidelines banning senior members of the ousted Baath Party from public sector jobs and said it would soon announce measures to root out senior Baathists from the private sector and trade associations.
Council member and head of the De-Baathification Commission Ahmad Chalabi announced the guidelines at a press conference in Baghdad. “These measures apply to the public sector, but the committee will publish shortly similar guidelines for the private sector and professional associations,” said Chalabi.
Like the May decree issued by Iraq’s US overseer Paul Bremer, the guidelines reiterate that full members of the Baath party holding the ranks of regional command member, branch member, section member and group member will be dismissed from their positions in the public sector.
It also bans any full Baath party members from the three top posts at ministries or government institutions.
The only major difference between the guidelines and the May decree is the widening of the category of those eligible to appeal their dismissal to include fourth-level members. “People who are members of ‘firqah’ (group) and below who have been dismissed can appeal,” said Chalabi.
A committee within each state organization will first look into the appeal and if the decision is favorable it will be submitted to the commission for final approval, he said.
He said a second appeal can be made to the commission directly and it will be looked into by a two-judge panel.
Individuals can forfeit their right to appeal by accepting early retirement from their jobs and receiving their pension like other non-Baath state employees, said Chalabi.
