Powell: U.S. Seeking New U.N. Iraq Draft
Aug 21, 1:36 PM EDT
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press Writer
Negroponte says the U-N only has one option in responding to the Baghdad attack. (Audio)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday the United States is seeking a new U.N. resolution that could call on countries to send more troops to Iraq, but he made clear Washington will not relinquish any control over the military force in the country. [GOOD! Keep our troops under our control and may God protect them! :-)]
France, Russia, India and other countries have ruled out contributing soldiers unless a multinational force is authorized by the United Nations. Without U.S. agreement to cede some control to the world body, diplomats said the possibility of a robust international force appeared unlikely to attract new support.
Powell stressed that the U.S.-led force in Iraq is multinational already, with 30 nations providing 22,000 troops, five others in the process of sending troops and 14 others discussing it.
"But perhaps additional language and a new resolution might encourage others," he said.
"We'll be looking at, of course, reaffirming our determination to succeed in Iraq. We're looking forward to language that might call on member states to do more," Powell said, adding that U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte will meet council diplomats to discuss the text of a resolution.
Powell calls for new Iraq resolution
Following Tuesday's bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, the issue of security in Iraq and the possibility of a new U.N. resolution to enlist more foreign troops in the U.S.-led force were at the top of the agenda of Powell's meeting Thursday with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The idea of a new resolution surfaced last month after France, Germany and India refused a U.S. request to provide troops unless there was a broader U.N. mandate. These countries and others, including Turkey and Russia, have made clear they want their forces serving under a U.N.-authorized multinational command.
When asked if Washington was willing to hand some of its control in Iraq to the United Nations, Powell said, "We have said all along that we want to U.N. to play a vital role. The issue of ceding authority is not an issue we have had to discuss today."
He said the countries that have sent troops to Iraq want U.S. command over the peacekeeping operation.
"You have to have control of a large military organization. That's what U.S. leadership brings to the coalition," he said.
Powell added that the U.S.-led occupation authority was authorized by U.N. resolutions: "We're on solid ground there."
The secretary of state has been talking about a new resolution with foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany and Italy, a U.S. official in Washington said on condition of anonymity.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was expected to meet Annan at U.N. headquarters later Thursday.
A council diplomat familiar with the U.S. ideas said on condition of anonymity that the U.S. administration appeared to be making the same proposal it made previously - calling for more international troops without relinquishing any control over the military and security operation.
Despite unanimous condemnation of Tuesday's bombing and support for a continued U.N. presence in the country, Iraq remains a sensitive and difficult issue five months after the bitterly divided Security Council refused to back the U.S.-led war.
"There were divisions before the war, but we all realize that it is urgent to help bring peace to Iraq, bring peace to the region," Annan said, standing beside Powell outside the Security Council chamber.
"And an Iraq that is destabilized, an Iraq that is in chaos is not in the interest of the region or the world. And we do have a responsibility to ensure that."
Asked whether it was possible for the council to reach consensus on a new resolution, given past divisions, Annan replied, "I think it is possible to get a consensus, but it'll take work. It will take consultations and negotiations, but I will not exclude it."
Annan said Wednesday the United Nations has started assessing security arrangements, and he will make recommendations to the Security Council at a future date.
Tun Myat, the U.N. security coordinator, will leave for Iraq on Thursday to analyze the risks and recommend whether the remaining staffers should stay.
After U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, the council managed to put aside differences and approved the U.S.-British occupation of Iraq in a May 22 resolution.
It gave the United Nations significant roles in providing humanitarian relief and in helping to rebuild Iraq. But it did not give the world body the lead role in putting together a new Iraqi government, as the war's opponents sought. And the United Nations was excluded from any military or security role, except helping to train a police force.
Annan said Wednesday he was surprised to hear reports that the United Nations turned down an offer of security from coalition forces in Iraq, stressing that security was the responsibility of the United States as the occupying power.
"I don't know if the U.N. did turn down offer for protection, but if it did, it was not correct and they should not have been allowed to turn it down," Annan said. [If the U.N. refused protection, then how can it be the U.S. fault, and more importantly, we did not attack them?!] "That kind of decision should not be left to the protected. It is those with responsibility for security and law and order, who have intelligence, which determines what action is taken."
Powell said he heard the reports but did not have any information.
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