US wants to tailor UN's role

2003-03-27 08:34

Washington - The United States will allow the United Nations to play a limited co-ordination role with an Iraqi interim government that might replace President Saddam Hussein's regime, but will not accept UN control, says US secretary of state Colin Powell.

Seeking to balance world concerns about indefinite US military occupation of Iraq and Pentagon demands for oversight of any new government, Powell said the interim administration should be augmented by a UN co-ordinator as soon as possible.

But, he said Washington would not agree to UN oversight of a transitional authority, to be led at first by a US military commander, while acknowledging the "great utility" of a UN role.

"We didn't take on this huge burden with our coalition partners not to be able to have significant, dominating control about how it unfolds in the future," said Powell.

"We would not support... handing everything over to the UN for someone designated by the UN to suddenly become in charge of this whole operation," he told a house budget subcommitee.

"The centre of gravity (would) remain with the coalition, but there is great utility in having the UN play a role," said Powell.

Planning an interim administration

He emphasised the US military would take control of the Iraqi government, but would be soon joined by an interim authority made of up Iraqis, and then the UN co-ordinator.

"We will put in place what we are calling an Iraqi interim administration... that will provide the nucleus of a new government and will begin to exert authority on various functions of an emerging Iraqi government.

"We will do this with full understanding of the international community and with the UN presence in the form of a UN special co-ordinator," he said.

The title and exact role of the co-ordinator is still a matter of intense discussion between coalition partners and at the UN security council, which London is particularly keen to see endorse the position, Powell said.

Some members of the security council, notably Russia and France which vehemently oppose the war against Iraq, are concerned that any resolution creating such a position would, in effect, legitimise the conflict.

They have registered their oppposition to the move.

This, coupled with the US and British insistence that the council adopts changes to the UN oil-for-food programme to allow the resumption of humanitarian aid to Iraq, has left Washington somewhat indecisive about the responsibilities of the co-ordinator.

"The administration is still somewhat all over the map on what it wants, even what it wants the UN role to be, and what it wants the US role to be," said Sheba Crocker, an analyst with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington thinktank.

Wanted 'international legitimacy'

"It can't even get to the stage where we're having a good discussion with the UN about what its role should be," she said.

In an interview earlier with India's Doordarshan television, Powell said Washington wanted to have "international legitimacy for all of the actions that we are taking".

"We all understand there has to be a role for the United Nations," he said. "We believe there is certainly a role for the United Nations."

Powell said the topic would be a major point of discussion between US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who arrived in Washington on Wednesday for talks expected to focus on the conflict as well as the post-war administration of Iraq.

- AFX