By Irwin Arieff

Iraq's new Governing Council is flying a delegation to New York next Tuesday to try to convince the United Nations it represents the Iraqi people until a permanent new government can be formed. The visit will mark one of the first official acts of the 25-member council, which was appointed just days ago by the U.S.-British military coalition governing Iraq.

The Iraqi council has been empowered to appoint heads of foreign missions as well as name ministers, work on a new constitution and lay the groundwork for the election of an internationally recognised Iraqi government.

The Governing Council voted on Monday to send the delegation to address the U.N. Security Council "to strengthen and consolidate the Governing Council's role as the legitimate Iraqi authority during this transitional period."

Some U.N. diplomats said the visit could put the council in line to claim the U.N. General Assembly seat left vacant since a U.S.-led invasion toppled the government of Saddam Hussein. Others said that would have to wait until elections were held and a permanent government put in place.

The occupying powers authorised the council to name Iraq's representatives abroad, said Spanish U.N. Ambassador Inocencio Arias, the Security Council president for July. "If they have the right, who are we to contest it?" he asked.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the time had not yet come for the Governing Council to name a U.N. representative. The Iraqi council could "decide on who would represent Iraq overseas, and that would be a matter of deciding whether the diplomats that were previously accredited remain or whether new ones be sent," Boucher told reporters.

"It's just, I think, we're not quite at that point in the whole process," he added. "These people are going out first to come to the United Nations with the secretary-general's representative and to brief the Security Council on the state of affairs and how they intend to proceed."

The delegation is due to appear before the 15-nation Security Council on the same day as Sergio Vieira de Mello, the U.N. special representative for Iraq, who is set to deliver his first progress report on U.N. efforts to help rebuild Iraq.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.