Q&A: Iraq's new security law

The interim government of Iraq has introduced tough new security measures to try to combat the violence sweeping the country. BBC News Online looks at the issues they raise:

What are the new measures?

The Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has signed the National Safety Law which will allow his government to impose martial law in any area of Iraq where there is a "threat to the lives of its citizens because of some people's permanent violent campaign to prevent the creation of a government that represents all Iraqis".

Martial law could last for up to 60 days. Other measures include curfews, wide powers of search and arrest, the banning of meetings, protests and political groupings, interception of letters and phone conversations and restrictions on the movement of foreigners. Military governors could be appointed in affected areas.

Why does the government regard them as necessary?

Because of the threat from the insurgents, who even as the new law was being announced were launching attacks in the streets of Baghdad.

Prime Minister Allawi feels that he has to strike hard and strike early and hopes that Iraqis will support his tough line. Surveys have shown that security is the main Iraqi concern. Public approval will probably depend on results.

What does this say about the state of the country?

It says that the state of the country is very serious. It is ironic that one of the first major acts of the new interim government, whose aim is to lead the country to elections by the end of January, is to equip itself with these emergency powers.

The Justice Minister Malik Dohan al-Hassan addressed the contradiction by saying that the deteriorating security situation threatened to derail the democratic process.

Are there any safeguards?

The Minister for Human Rights Bakhityar Amin said that he had the right to monitor the implementation of the measures and to investigate any violations. Government ministries had been told to co-operate. The aim was for a "humanitarian application of these laws." He justified the measures by saying that "the lives of the people are in danger from evil forces."

The measures will have to be renewed every 30 days so that they not open-ended.

Mr Amin compared the laws to the Patriot Act in the United States brought in after the 11 September attacks and to French measures against Algerian militants.

The Patriot Act does not contain such sweeping powers and he probably offered these simply as general examples of how democratic countries pass special laws in emergencies.

Will this make much difference to ordinary Iraqis?

They might not notice much difference unless the special measures are imposed where they live. They are already subject to violence from the insurgents and to military measures from Iraqi forces and foreign troops in the multinational force.

What will the role of US and other foreign troops be?

In general, these troops will continue as before. How far they will be involved in the imposition of the new laws remains to be seen. The Iraqi government says that they might have to be called on if their own forces cannot cope. Since Iraqi forces are still rather weak, this might happen quite a lot.

What are the next steps in the democratic process?

The first thing is for an electoral roll to be drawn up. The United Nations is helping with this but the safety of UN personnel is still a problem and that could slow it down. There will be elections by the end of January to a National Assembly. This in turn will elect a "transitional government" which will be more representative than the current appointed interim government. It will organise a new constitution for full elections to be held by the end of next year.