Bremer predicts an increase in attacks in Iraq
Bush names James Baker to help reduce Iraq's huge debt
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An Iraqi passenger bus was struck by the blast of an explosive device on Friday in southeastern Baghdad in an attack that killed at least three Iraqis and one U.S. soldier.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Despite a recent drop in attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, the U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq Friday predicted violence will increase in the next six months as occupation authorities begin to transfer power to Iraqi leadership.
"In the immediate phase ahead of us between now and the end of June, we will actually see an increase in attacks, because the people who are against us now realize that there's huge momentum behind both the economic and political reconstruction of this country," administrator L. Paul Bremer said in a televised interview.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said at a news conference that conflict between insurgents and soldiers is "below recent norms," averaging 19 engagements daily against coalition forces and two daily against Iraqi civilians and forces.
He said he hopes the military's offensive operations against the guerrillas "have sent a clear message to the terrorists."
"We will come after you, we will kill you, or we will capture you," he warned the insurgents, adding: "The enemy has the final vote on whether he wants to attack again. All we can do is use actionable intelligence to go after him to stop him before the next attack."
Ann Clwyd -- who is British Prime Minister Tony Blair's special representative for human rights in Iraq -- said earlier this week that the coalition "has enough evidence to indict the 10 leading members of the regime."
"That evidence is in our possession, but before we hand over the evidence we need to know to whom to hand it over," Clwyd said. "What kind of tribunal will be in place? And I understand that the statute for the tribunal is being finalized at this moment and may be published in the few days."
On Friday, a coalition official said the Governing Council is closer to forming a war crimes tribunal that would bring Saddam Hussein and others in his regime to justice, a coalition official said Friday.
In the latest attack, at least three Iraqis and one U.S. soldier were killed -- 13 were wounded, 11 of them Iraqis -- when the blast from a roadside explosive device struck a passing U.S. military convoy and an Iraqi passenger bus in southeastern Baghdad, authorities said.
With the soldier's death, 443 U.S. troops have been killed in the Iraq war, 306 from hostile fire. Of those, 304 -- 191 from hostile fire -- have died after President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1.
No reliable estimate of Iraqi deaths over the course of the conflict is available. The Associated Press reported an estimated 3,240 civilian Iraqi deaths between March 20 and April 20, but the AP said the figure was based on records of only half of Iraq's hospitals and that the actual number was thought to be significantly higher.
U.S.: Weapons seized
The U.S. military continues the hunt for Saddam and remnants of the Ba'athist regime. On Friday, arrests and the seizure of weapons caches throughout the country were announced. About 1,000 people marched through Baghdad streets protesting the violence by insurgents against civilians and local police.
While it won't be an "easy job," Bremer said, he believes that Saddam will be captured.
"This is a country the size of California or France," he said. "It is not a small place. Secondly, Saddam had 35 years to prepare safe houses and escape routes."
Bremer said Saddam has "obviously dug down" in one of these hideouts.
Occupation authorities continue to discuss concerns about the political transfer agreement, Bremer said. A top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, last week called for direct elections and cautioned against the proposed caucus-style polls for the national assembly.
Bremer said he's confident there will be a way to satisfy the Shiites and the interim Iraqi authorities
Baker named personal envoy
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James Baker has been named President Bush's personal envoy to Iraq for the country's debt.
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President Bush on Friday named former Secretary of State James A. Baker III as his personal envoy to lead an effort to convince countries to forgive or restructure an estimated $100 billion in debts owed by Iraq. (Full story)
"The future of the Iraqi people should not be mortgaged to the enormous burden of debt incurred to enrich Saddam Hussein's regime," Bush said in a written statement.
The Iraqi Governing Council immediately welcomed the announcement and said reducing Iraq's debt is critical to its political transition.
Baker is a longtime Bush family associate, and served as secretary of state in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, the current president's father. He was a Bush campaign point person during the 2000 presidential election recount in Florida.
Other developments
• Two Japanese diplomats were shot dead in their armored vehicle in Iraq last weekend and not at a roadside stand as reported, officials in Tokyo say. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Friday the new information came from the United States, refuting an earlier account from a local resident, who said the victims were buying refreshments when they were killed. U.S. officials say they still have no information about who was responsible for the attack. (Full story)
• The president of the Iraqi Governing Council said Iraqis are considering the creation of new military units, possibly to include local militias, to help U.S.-led coalition troops battle insurgents. Asked about a newspaper report that units will be formed from militias of five political parties, Council President Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim said: "Our view depends on the part that can be played by forces to establish security" by militias -- such as the Badr Brigade and the Peshmerga. The Badr Brigade is a militia associated with Hakim's group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution. The Peshmerga are Kurdish fighters.
CNN's John Raedler and Walter Rodgers contributed to this report.
Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
