10 Killed in Explosion As Iraqi President is Named

At least 10 people were killed in an explosion near Baghdad's 'green zone' shortly after the Iraqi governing council named the country's new president.

The blast tore through the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, close to the heavily guarded compound where the US-led administration in Iraq is based. US soldiers were seen rushing to the scene and shooting rang out after the explosion.

A huge crater was blown into the ground at the entrance to the building. According to Reuters, a senior policeman at the scene said at least 10 people were killed and many wounded.

The blast came as the head of the Iraqi governing council was today named as the country's new president after America's choice, ex-foreign minister Adnan Pachachi, turned down the post.

UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi confirmed the appointment of Sheikh Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar, a tribal leader, as head of state who will lead the new Iraqi government that is due to assume power on June 30. The post is seen as the largely ceremonial; real power will lie with the new prime minister, who was named on Friday.

The announcement breaks the deadlock over the naming of the government, which was apparently held up at the request of the US amid embarrassing wrangling over who should be president.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari of the Shia Muslim Dawa party and Rowsch Shaways, speaker of parliament in the Kurdish autonomous region in Irbil, were named vice-presidents, Mr Brahimi said. The rest of the 26-member cabinet was expected to be announced later today.

An aide to Mr Pachachi, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 81-year-old was named president but immediately turned down the post.

Council member Nasser al-Chaderchi said Mr Pachachi apologised to his colleagues for the controversy surrounding the appointment and yielded power to Sheikh Ghazi.

One source cited by the Associated Press said Mr Pachachi stepped aside because most of the 22-member Governing Council backed Sheikh Ghazi, a 45-year-old civil engineer educated in Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Mr Brahimi also confirmed that the presidency had initially been offered to Mr Pachachi, with the support of Sheikh Ghazi, but that he had "declined for personal reasons".

Sheikh Ghazi is a graduate of the Petroleum and Minerals University in Saudi Arabia and of Georgetown University, Washington. He took over the rotating presidency of the governing council following the assassination of previous head, Izzadine Saleem, last month.

His appointment as president of the new government marks a victory for the council over the US-led coalition, which has been accused by Iraqi politicians of trying to wield too much influence over the make-up of the new government.

Council members had angrily accused the American governor of Iraq, Paul Bremer, of trying to install Mr Pachachi against their wishes. Sources had said earlier that the US warned that if the members voted for Sheikh Ghazi, it could refuse to recognise the choice.

In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Sheikh Ghazi's home town, crowds swept into the streets to celebrate the news, cheering and firing weapons in the air. US soldiers there appealed for calm.

On Friday, the most powerful post, the prime ministership, went to Iyad Allawi, a US-backed Shia Muslim with military and CIA connections. It was agreed that the presidency would go to a Sunni Muslim. Both Mr Pachachi and Sheikh Ghazi are Sunni.