Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday that Iraq's new prime minister has written a detailed letter to members of the U.N. Security Council spelling out the relationship between the new Iraq interim government and U.S.-led military forces. The letter from Iyad Allawi addresses one of the thorniest issues in the June 30 handover of authority to an Iraqi government. President Bush has said the new government will have full sovereignty, but the United States plans to retain command of its military forces in the country. Powell, briefing reporters aboard Air Force One, said Allawi's letter proposes setting up Iraqi committees that will monitor and work closely with a U.S.-led coalition forces throughout the nation. It makes clear that Iraq will have jurisdiction over its own military forces, but not that of other nations, including the United States, said Powell, who was accompanying Bush on a trip from Rome to Paris. "Every nation retains sovereignty over their own forces," he said.
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U.S.-led coalition forces will keep the new Iraqi military committees posted on what they are doing and planning, including giving a heads-up on "sensitive operations," he said. If there are disagreements, they will be "taken up to a higher level," Powell said. Powell said the Allawi letter makes clear that Iraq wants a coalition military presence to remain. He called it "a recognition that they can't provide for their own security yet." U.S. officials have said that Iraqis would have the right to ask coalition forces to leave. Powell said Allawi's letter goes a long way to meeting the concerns of Security Council members over military arrangements. France, which has veto power on the council, has stressed the need for Iraq's government to have authority over its security. "This is a major step forward," Powell said. "Receipt of the Allawi letter pushes us much closer to the finish line." Powell said copies of the letter would be delivered to council members as they try to come up with a final version of a U.N. resolution dealing with Iraq's relationship with international forces. The resolution would be expected to make a reference to the letter. |