U.S. General Gets Earful From Men in Sunni City Who May Forgo Polls

A dozen Iraqi men were sitting in chairs on a residential street corner Saturday morning, vigorously discussing politics and the fate of their war-torn country.

Unexpectedly, the group had a visitor.

Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Division, was making an election-eve inspection of a nearby polling place and urging Iraqis to vote. More chairs and more Iraqi men suddenly appeared.

For 30 minutes the Iraqis used a Marine translator to give the general a vigorous, unapologetic recitation of the grievances that may lead many of them to boycott today’s election.

The election will only create a Shiite Muslim-dominated government in Baghdad that will ignore Sunni Muslim cities like Ramadi, one man said emphatically. There is nobody on the ballot who cares about Ramadi, said another.

Hamad Shahir Forhan, 39, a former lieutenant colonel in the Iraqi army, said that if it had not been disbanded by the Americans, the army could have kept the peace in Ramadi, which has been racked by kidnappings, beheadings, thefts and intimidation.

“The Iraqi army should belong to the nation and serve the people, not a single party,” Natonski replied. Under Saddam Hussein, the army would enforce the will of his Baath Party. Natonski agreed with the men that if the new government ignored Ramadi, its legitimacy would be doubtful.

“The Sunni people need to be recognized by the government in Baghdad,” Natonski said. If Ramadi residents “do not feel a part of the government, it is a mistake.”

Only once during the discussion did Natonski seem taken aback: when the Iraqis asserted that Americans caused the violence that grips their city.

“We cannot open our shops and cannot go out because the Americans are here,” one man said.

The general replied that the violence was caused by insurgents, and that the Americans were here to help get rid of them.

“They don’t call them insurgents,” the translator told Natonski.

“Well, to me, anybody who kills people, who cuts people’s heads off, is an insurgent,” the general replied.

On one point, the two sides were in agreement.

“We want to help you repair your country and leave,” Natonski said.

The group nodded with enthusiasm.