October 3, 2003
The U.N.'s future in Iraq was thrown in doubt after Secretary General Kofi Annan rejected U.S. proposals on what role the United Nations would have there as Russia said Friday, October 3, it was not satisfied with the latest U.S. draft resolution.
Despite dissatisfaction, Moscow is prepared to help in seeking a compromise between Washington and its opponents on the Security Council, President Vladimir Putin said Friday according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). "We are not satisfied with the draft by our American partners, though they are trying to find a compromise," Putin said in answer to a question by a Saudi investor at a World Economic Forum in Moscow. "I believe that if we are guided by these principles, we can expect to find such a compromise," he said. The U.N. Security Council resolution "must give the international community greater possibility for taking part in the rebirth of Iraq," he stressed. "In this way I believe we can achieve serious progress in the reconstruction of the country," he said.
On Thursday, a new draft resolution presented by U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte won a frosty reception in the Security Council where it was seen as offering few of the sweeping changes called for after an earlier version last month met strong resistance. "The revised text does not address our wishes," France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere said. "We didn't find the proposals that we made, along with Germany, on the main points." Washington, seeking military and financial help for its occupation of Iraq, has submitted a resolution to approve a multinational peacekeeping force and give the United Nations a formal role in rebuilding the country.
Putin said the problem was that "the population of Iraq has greater trust in its traditional partners than in those who currently control the situation there." Referring to pre-war Russian economic ties with the ousted regime in Iraq, the Russian President said that "previously concluded contracts can and must be used to rebuild the country. "These forces (of the U.S.-led occupation) are trying to improve the situation as quickly as possible. While we must not create a power vacuum, U.N. control must be increased."
Putin said it would be desirable to have an U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq passed by October 24, when a donor conference on Iraq is due to be held in Madrid. "We have the time for this. Our specialists believe that all parties involved want a positive outcome," he added. Russia, which opposed the U.S. war on Iraq, has - like its peace camp partners France and Germany - been pressing for a rapid transfer of power in Iraq from the United States to a properly elected Iraqi authority. However, Moscow has shown more willingness to compromise than Paris or Berlin as it seeks to rebuild bridges with Washington.
U.N. Role In Doubt
Annan also rejected the U.S. proposals regarding the U.N. role in Iraq. On Thursday, and at a lunch with the 15-member Council, Annan stressed he could not accept the terms of a new U.S. draft resolution which did not incorporate his suggestions on how to handle the eventual transfer of political power in Iraq. According to AFP, diplomats said he also bristled at taking on responsibilities given the dire security situation in Iraq, where two bombings at the U.N.'s Baghdad office since August killed 23 people, including his top envoy.
Annan told reporters his proposal to let Iraqis form a government first, before writing a constitution and then holding new elections, could help stem the guerrilla-style attacks against the U.S. occupation. "You get rid of the idea that it is an occupation and cut back on the resistance," he said. "That doesn't mean that the international community walks away." The latest U.S. proposals, discussed by the Council Thursday morning, call for writing a constitution first - a process that would take months - before a "progressive" handover of political power to Iraqis.
One diplomat said Annan saw no way for "two powers" to be in charge and that, as long as the U.S. occupation maintains hold, it would be very difficult for the United Nations to take part. Annan has pulled all but around 30 of the U.N.'s international staff out of the country since the attacks amid fears U.N. personnel would be seen as part of the occupation unless Iraqis are given their own government.
The United States and chief war ally Britain say trying to transfer power too quickly, before Iraq has developed the institutions to manage it, is a recipe for failure. "We have to be realistic," one British diplomat said. "A symbolic fig-leaf type of transfer wouldn't be useful."
The standoff appeared to confirm the U.N. chief's worst fears about the state of the Council. Annan says it needs "radical reform" to remain relevant in a one-superpower world. Annan blasted the U.S. position in a speech attended by U.S. President George W. Bush last week at the opening of the U.N.'s two-week annual meeting of ministers.
However, Iraq's Ahmad Chalabi, from the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, said in his address closing the meeting Thursday that critics of the war to topple Saddam Hussein are wrong. Chalabi lashed out at "those who stood with the dictator and who continue to question the intentions of the American and British governments" in launching the war. "The Iraqi people will ask you why you chose to remain silent," he said, singling out the United States and Britain for leading the effort to oust the Baghdad strongman. "What happened is indeed liberation (and) could not have been achieved without the determination of President Bush and the commitment of the coalition," he said. "The Iraqis will never forget your courage and sacrifice on our behalf," he said.
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