Iraq's incoming government needs the U.S.-led multinational force to stay to prevent civil war but insists on command of Iraqi forces and authority over "security matters," Iraq's foreign minister said Thursday. Hoshyar Zebari told the U.N. Security Council that a U.S.-British draft resolution on Iraqi sovereignty must spell out the relationship between the government and the multinational force to ensure that Iraq's self-rule isn't compromised and the force is able to defend itself. But he said the new interim government that will take power on June 30 doesn't want "a fixed deadline or timetable" for the departure of the multinational force, because it would be used by the country's "enemies" to foment unrest. But he stressed that the government which will be elected in January 2005 "must have a say in the future presence of these forces and we urge that this be reflected in the new resolution." He said the resolution must underline "the transfer of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq" and authorize the interim government "to control, administer and manage Iraq's resources and assets." "This means investing full authority in the interim government to run Iraq's affairs, make its own decisions and have authority over Iraq's security matters," he said. | So far we're in perfect agreement. |
While the U.S. ambassador said the draft needs only "fine-tuning," key Security Council members including Algeria, France, Russia and China have insisted on major changes. | Who cares what they think? |
The revised U.S.-British draft introduced Tuesday would authorize the multinational force to remain in Iraq under a unified command and urge more countries to contribute troops. It addresses two security issues raised by council members by giving the interim government control of the Iraqi army and police, and ending the mandate for a multinational force by January 2006. The original draft did not address the issue of control of Iraqi security forces or include an end to the force's mandate. Zebari warned that "any premature departure of international troops would lead to chaos and the real possibility of a civil war in Iraq." "This would cause a humanitarian crisis and provide a foothold for terrorists to launch their evil campaign in our country and beyond our borders," he said. | Which suits certain UNSC members just fine. |
Several countries - including Algeria, the council's only Arab member - say they want the new resolution to give the country's new leaders final say over the multinational force. In an interview Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Iraq will not be given a veto over U.S. troops. The 138,000 U.S. troops will remain under U.S. command, Powell said. "There could be a situation where we have to act and there may be a disagreement," Powell told Middle East Broadcasting. Ambassador John Negroponte called Thursday for the "timely passage" of the resolution. Zebari expressed hope that the vote would be unanimous to send a strong signal of international support to the Iraqi people. Other nations on the 15-member council, especially France, are in no rush. They want to see how Iraqis react to the new team. They also want to hear from the new leaders and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who announced the new government Tuesday. | Wait long enough, and we and the Iraqis will just do things our own way. |
The Iraqi minister also said a resolution must clearly end the U.S. and British occupation of Iraq that followed last year's war that toppled Saddam Hussein. "By removing the label of occupation, we will deprive the terrorists and antidemocratic forces of a rallying point to foment violence in our country," he said. |