NCRI – The Iraqi Council of Ministers has decided to disband the office of the National Security Advisor, tabling a draft bill to this effect at the Parliament, the official Iraqi TV network, Al-Iraqyia, reported on April 29, 2009.
The spokesman for the Iraqi government, Mr. Ali Dabbaq, said the government had agreed with the draft bill to annul the Coalition Provisional Authority’s order No. 68 issued in 2004 regarding the establishment of the office of the National Security Advisor.
The French news agency, AFP, reported that the Iraqi cabinet has decided to replace the National Security Advisory with a ministerial committee.
According to al-Arabiya satellite television, retirement for al-Rubaie was accelerated after he took a stance against the main Iranian opposition, PMOI, and his efforts to hand over the PMOI to the Iranian regime had brought the Iraqi government under international scrutiny.
The network added: “The clash over removing or ending the tenure of the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, is continuing. Al-Rubaie tries to downplay the move, saying the term of the contract simply ended. But some claim his insistence on doing favor to Iran by taking positions against the PMOI, accelerated his retirement.”
“Did al-Rubaie’s motivation to hand over the PMOI to Iran have something to do with his retirement? Some point to his willingness to help Iran on this issue as a cause for his removal. He did indeed help Iran when it came to the PMOI issue,” the TV network said
On April 30 al-Sumariya, another Iraqi TV station, reported “The Chair of the Parliament’s Legal Committee, Baha al-Araji, has indicated that the cabinet voted unanimously to disband the office of the National Security Advisor. He said the office currently has 426 staff, while the law that led to its establishment had only allowed 20 personnel in total. The office will not be granted a budget for next month, al-Araji noted.”