WASHINGTON - He is a little-known figure slipping in and out of Baghdad doing behind-the-scenes work, but Bush appointee and veteran diplomat Robert Blackwill ranks alongside the three most powerful men in Iraq.
His low profile belies Mr Blackwill's influence. The career diplomat is part of a powerful trio. There is UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the man charged with picking Iraqis for the new government. There is Mr Paul Bremer, head of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority. And then there is Mr Blackwill, who, just months ago, was in India as US ambassador.
Mr Blackwill is working behind the scenes in a dash to help set up an interim government by June 30 that can keep Iraq running until elections early next year.
President George W. Bush put Mr Blackwill on the White House payroll last summer. Mr Blackwill has been providing Mr Brahimi with the names of tribal sheiks and provincial leaders who could be named to Iraq's transition government. To avoid putting a 'made in USA' stamp on the interim government, the administration stresses that his role is informal.
Mr Amatzia Baram, an expert on Iraq at the US Institute for Peace in Washington, says: 'Blackwill is the single most influential person when it comes to decision-making in Baghdad today.' He adds: 'That doesn't diminish Bremer's position because he's the man on the scene and he has a lot of credibility.
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