MADRID — Faced with an array of problems that have slowed the effort to restore order in Iraq, the Bush administration plans to appoint a new coordinator to oversee all political and reconstruction issues in the country, according to administration officials.
The White House is expected to name L. Paul Bremer III, a former ambassador and head of the State Department's counter-terrorism office, to the post, sources said. Bremer would have authority over retired Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, who now administers the country.
The administration of the country in the wake of Saddam Hussein's ouster has been fraught with difficulties, ranging from the breakdown of law and order to the collapse of basic services.
The problems have sparked an anti-American backlash and tensions between U.S. troops and Iraqis that have led to confrontations and deaths.
The job of coordinating Iraq's reconstruction has proved much more complicated than anticipated, in part because of the massive looting and destruction that followed the fall of Baghdad, U.S. officials say.
The appointment of Bremer, who joined the consulting firm of former boss Henry A. Kissinger after leaving the State Department, was seen as imminent.
Under Bremer, Garner would remain in charge of reconstruction, while Zalmay Khalilzad, the president's special envoy to Iraq, would oversee the political transition that now centers on forming an interim Iraqi authority.
But U.S. sources speculated that adding a coordinator is also an attempt to rein in the Pentagon, which has dominated policy in Iraq and sparked intense disputes within the administration, sometimes by defying agreements reached by the Bush war council.
"The Pentagon was running wild and there's been no parental oversight," said a well-placed U.S. official familiar with the internal friction.
It was unclear whether Bremer would report to the Pentagon, which had no comment on his expected appointment.
In a further bid to restore order in Iraq, Britain has launched talks with more than a dozen nations about forming a multinational force to stabilize the country and train a new police force, according to U.S. and European officials.
After talks in London this week, Britain won commitments from Spain, Italy and Poland to contribute forces to help restore law and order in Iraq, according to U.S., Spanish and British officials.
