US blamed for lax security
2003-08-21 13:19
Paris - Russia joined countries assailing the US for failing to provide security in Iraq on Thursday, but Washington said it would not send more of its own troops, instead renewing calls for other nations to help in Iraqi reconstruction.
Following a devasting bomb attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Yuri Fedotov, said US and British troops were "obliged to maintain order" under a UN Security Council resolution recognising them as the occupying power.
The UN rejected a US claim that it was responsible for providing its own security and said it was the responsibility of the US.
"If we, and others, are to be able to contribute effectively to the recovery of Iraq, it is essential that an environment of security be created in Iraq," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Annan's personal representative to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was among the 24 people reported killed in the bombing attack.
Japan, which had been expected to be an important contributor to the Iraqi reconstruction effort, appeared to be backing away from a promise to send up to 1 000 troops by November because of the absence of security.
"If you look at the current situation, common sense says we cannot send them right away," said Shigeru Ishiba, the director general of the Japanese Defense Agency. "Even the United Nations, which only provided humanitarian aid and did not use force, has been targeted for attack."
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said there was no question of his government sending troops to Iraq. He told Suddeutsche Zeitung that under UN resolutions, the United States and Britain were meant to provide security and stabilisation.
"We would have wished for a central role of the UN, but some our our partners were of another opinion. We have to accept that," he said.
In Bangkok, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Thailand may also cancel its plan to send more than 400 troops to help rebuild Iraq.
The Spanish government, too, came under pressure to withdraw its troops in Iraq following the death of a Spanish naval captain in the bombing.
The Socialist party opposition leader, Manuel Chaves called for a parliamentary debate "leading to the exit" of Spanish forces. "Many Spaniards are concerned at what the armed forces are doing as an occupation force in Iraq," he said.
But the US state department spokesperson, Richard Boucher, said the US would continue to press other nations to contribute troops and aid workers to stabilisation and reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
Boucher said 27 nationals already had sent nearly 22 000 troops to Iraq, and that discussions were taking place with 14 other countries about possible troop deployments.
Despite the bombing, a continent of 96 Philippine soldiers,police officers and health workers left for a six-month humanitarian mission in Iraq that will included military engineering projects, medical assistance and training for the Iraq police.
In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld insisted that the size of the 147 000-member force in Iraq was "appropriate" and said the emphasis should be on building up the Iraqi police and army to provide security.
Iranian President Mohammed Khatami castigated the United States for increasing rather than diminishing terrorism.
He said Vieira de Mello was the victim of "misguided behavior" by the United States that "set the ground for violent actions".
"Attacking Iraq triggered a spread of terrorism and violence in the world, carrying a hefty cost for the Iraqis and the Americans," he said.
The state-run China Daily in Beijing said Vieira de Mello was a victim not only of terrorism but of "US hegemonic policy in the Middle East". It said the attack "should lead the administration of the superpower to think deeply about its self-trumpeted 'righteous' policies".
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia urged the US to hand over the task of governing Iraq to the United Nations, but Washington has so far ruled this out.
- AFP