4
On May 6, President Bush announced the appointment of Am-
bassador L. Paul Bremer III, as Presidential Envoy to Iraq. He re-
ports to the President through the Secretary of Defense. The Presi-
dent authorized Ambassador Bremer to oversee, direct, and coordi-
nate all United States Government (USG) programs and activities
in Iraq, except those under the command of the Commander, U.S.
Central Command. This responsibility includes overseeing the use
of USG appropriations in Iraq, as well as Iraqi state- or regime-
owned property that is properly under U.S. possession and made
available for use in Iraq to assist the Iraqi people and support the
recovery of Iraq.
The Secretary of Defense appointed Ambassador Bremer as the
Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) on May
13, 2003. As Administrator of the CPA, Ambassador Bremer is re-
sponsible for the temporary governance of Iraq, and shall oversee,
direct and coordinate all executive, legislative, and judicial func-
tions necessary to carry out this responsibility, including humani-
tarian relief and reconstruction and assisting in the formation of an
Iraqi interim administration. The Secretary of Defense stated in
his memorandum of May 13 that the Commander, U.S. Central
Command, acting as Commander of Coalition Forces, shall directly
support the CPA by deterring hostilities; maintaining Iraq’s terri-
torial integrity and security; searching for, securing and destroying
weapons of mass destruction; and assisting in carrying out U.S.
policy generally.
Subsequent to Ambassador Bremer’s appointment as Adn1inis-
trator of the CPA, ORHA has been dissolved and the CPA has as-
sumed its functions and responsibilities.
The staff of the CPA includes personnel from all relevant U.S.
agencies and departments, as well as representatives from Coali-
tion countries. The CPA has been establishing lines of coordination
with U.N. specialized agencies and other international institutions,
our Coalition partners, bilateral donors, and non-governmental or-
ganizations (NGOs).
The CPA’s mission is to help meet Iraq’s reconstruction, govern-
mental, and administrative challenges, acting as the nucleus of
Iraq’s administrative apparatus; involving the Iraqi people in ad-
ministering their own country; and maximizing contributions from
other governments and organizations. A key U.S. priority has been
the re-establishment of civilian public services to effect improve-
ments in the lives of the Iraqi people. To this end, the CPA has
worked closely with USCENTCOM to re-establish security in Iraq
and to provide basic water, sanitation, and electric power services
for the Iraqi people.
To the extent possible, the CPA’s civil administration of Iraq
seeks to rely on existing Iraqi ministries and infrastructure under
CPA direction. The CPA is focused on getting Iraqi ministries up
and running. To facilitate this work, emergency payments have
been disbursed to Iraqi civil servants, and actions have been taken
to effect the re-establishment of regular salary payments and
schedules for all approved Iraqi civil servants. The ultimate goal
for the United States will be to support a process leading to an
internationally recognized, representative government of Iraq.