WASHINGTON, Oct 5: A key Iraqi opposition leader has announced that his organization would announce the formation of a provisional government the moment his fighters arrived in Iraq.

Speaking to an audience at the American Enterprise Institute on Thursday, Ahmad Chalabi, one of the founders of the Iraqi National Congress, said, “the moment free Iraqis land in Iraq will be simultaneous with the announcement of a transitional government for Iraq.”

Chalabi added that this government would be receptive to defections from the Iraqi military; prepared to distribute humanitarian aid to Iraqis; keep order, prevent random violence and “increase the purchasing power of the Iraqi dinar.”

In July, Chalabi sent a list of approximately 1,000 names to the Pentagon as candidates for military training specified in 1998 legislation. US officials say the training will largely be for non-combat functions such as guarding prisoners of war and performing liaison functions between US troops and local Iraqis.