Central role for UN in Iraq says Straw
Ian Black, Michael White, Rory McCarthy in Dohuk and Paul Webster in Paris
Thursday April 10, 2003
The Guardian
The diplomatic scramble to mould arrangements for postwar Iraq began in earnest yesterday with Britain promising France that the United Nations would play a central role in running the country.
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, sought to cross Europe's central faultline when he met his French counterpart, Dominique de Villepin, in Paris.
In what appeared to be a softening in French opposition to temporary military administration, Mr De Villepin said France accepted the necessity for coalition forces to make Iraq secure before a civilian government could be formed.
At Westminster Tony Blair was also conciliatory towards the French president, Jacques Chirac, with whom he said it would be "easy" to negotiate the promised "vital role" for the UN if the will existed.
He urged the return of UN weapons inspection teams to provide "objective verification" of any evidence that emerged to confirm that Iraq was, as claimed, stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.
"We have no doubt at all that these weapons exist," the prime minister insisted.
US officials were yesterday still checking various sites where they believed chemical or biological weapons might have been stored, though none of the alleged finds have been confirmed.
Britain hopes that George Bush's Belfast commitment to a "vital" role for the UN and his pledge to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process will help to win over France and other European doubters.
British officials said last night they would seek a UN resolution mandating the takeover of the proposed Interim Iraqi Authority once common ground had been established in the security council.
But senior western diplomats warned that America and Britain have only a "small window of opportunity" to put together an acceptable government in Iraq before they lose all support in the Arab world.
There will be four key parts to the IIA, comprising the US-led organisation for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance, the US and British military, the UN, and a group of Iraqi representatives.
Debate continues over how significant a role the UN will play and what part will be given to Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi exile favoured by the Pentagon but regarded with distrust by much of the Arab world.
Mr Blair called the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, last night to discuss today's "anti-war" summit in St Petersburg between the Kremlin leader, President Chirac, and the German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder. The summit of leaders opposed to the Iraq war is expected to generate an alternative plan for postwar Iraq that will intrinsically involve the UN. The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, is expected to attend the summit on Saturday. |
