Iraqi opposition members are circulating a detailed plan for transforming Iraq from a dictatorship into an essentially secular democracy within three years if Saddam Hussein is ousted.
The 98-page report, “The Transition to Democracy in Iraq,” was hammered out after fierce debate among representatives of a State Department-supported group that consists of Iraqi intellectuals in exile, representatives of human-rights groups, other private organizations and representatives of leading Iraqi opposition groups.
The document endorses a set of principles that its authors say enjoys broad support among opposition groups, including democracy, federalism, respect for the rule of law and human rights and a “road map” for the transition to a government that would begin organizing in exile.
The major authors discussed the paper Monday at a meeting with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and other White House officials.
