American governor for Baghdad says she does not recognise 'mayor'

She has held some of the hardest jobs of any American diplomat, yet Barbara Bodine may be about to take on her toughest challenge yet.

Ms Bodine is to become the US co-ordinator for central Iraq, assuming a position that will make her responsible for Baghdad. She arrived in the Iraqi capital yesterday with retired Lieutenant-General Jay Garner, the man who is heading the civilian administration for the entire country.

She immediately placed herself at the centre of controversy, saying America did not recognise the Iraqi diplomat who has proclaimed himself the mayor of Baghdad.

Last week, Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi, the deputy head of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), claimed he had been elected head of an interim council to run the city. Over the weekend he announced that 22 individual committees had been established to oversee the various aspects of Baghdad's civil administration.

But yesterday Ms Bodine, 54, said that Washington did not recognise Mr Zubaidi, despite the close links some elements of the Bush administration have had with the INC leader, Ahmed Chalabi.

"We don't really know much about him except that he's declared himself mayor. We don't recognise him," she said. "There hasn't been a process of selection. Once there's a process, then whomever."

She also said she did not think that Mr Zubaidi could lead an Iraqi delegation to the emergency meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) starting on Thursday in Vienna.

"He can't," she added. "I don't think Opec would take him. We wouldn't prevent him but I would find it odd that Opec would accept him as a representative."

Ms Bodine, a former US ambassador to Yemen, is no stranger to controversy. Having served in Baghdad in the 1980s, she was in Kuwait in 1991 when several US diplomats were taken hostage before the 1991 Gulf War. She was among those who were held for 137 days.

A life-long Arabist, Ms Bodine was reportedly elected to General Garner's Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) having been given positive backing from the Pentagon, which has been sceptical of many from the State Department.

One of her most challenging roles was as the US ambassador to Yemen. During her watch the USS Cole was struck by al-Qa'ida terrorists, killing 17 sailors while it was docked in Yemen.

Mr Bodine, who will be one of three Iraqi sector heads, is originally from St Louis.