Allawi becomes Iraq's interim Prime Minister

The outgoing Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) – a creation of the U.S. –announced Allawi's appointment as interim Prime Minister on May 29, 2004. Allawi's appointment was viewed as a move to pre-empt moves by the U.N and U.S. to draft someone seen as independent of the occupation forces.

Since the handover of power to Allawi in late June, he has announced that a new internal intelligence agency would be created to undermine those behind the string of attacks on U.S and Iraqi forces. "We are determined to bring down all the hurdles that stand in the way of our democracy," Allawi told journalists announcing the new agency. [22]

In mid-July, the Bagdad correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald, Paul McGeogh, reported that two eye-witnesses stated that the week prior to the handover of power that Allawi had drawn a pistol and executed up to six people detained for suspected attacks on Iraqi and U.S forces. Allawi's office has denied that he had visited the Al-Amariyah security centre in Bagdad's suburbs or that he carried a gaun. U.S Ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, dismissed the claims without investigating them. [23]

After the statements by the witnesses, McGeogh wrote of Allawi that his "every response to the Iraq mess is that of a hard man: he threatens martial law; he warns he might shut down sections of the media; he suggests he might delay elections. His Justice Minister is bringing back the death penalty; his Defence Minister warns he'll chop off insurgents' hands and heads." [24]

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Ayad_Allawi

Paul McGeogh, a respected conservative Australian journalist, had to flee Iraq after publishing the witnesses statements.