Annan's Defiance of U.S. Puts Vote on Iraq in Doubt

Netscape/Reuters ^ | 3 October 2003

[anotherview]

World

Friday, Oct. 3, 2003

Annan's Defiance of U.S. Puts Vote on Iraq in Doubt

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's defiance of American plans on Iraq on Friday threw into doubt approval of a U.S.-drafted resolution, with Security Council members expressing deep reservations.

Spanish Ambassador Inocencio Arias, who supports the U.S. position, acknowledged at least six of the 15 council members might abstain on a vote on the resolution that seeks to recruit more troops and money.

"This would be unacceptable," he told reporters, referring to a drive by Washington for unanimity. A minimum of nine votes is needed for adoption.

Annan said the United Nations, which lost senior staff in the Aug. 19 bombing of its Baghdad offices, would continue humanitarian work. But he made clear he did not want to risk more lives for a marginal role in Iraq and that American plans for ending the occupation were on the wrong track.

Whereas France alone had been openly critical of the U.S. draft, Annan's comments caused most of the Security Council to reconsider positions, according to ambassadors from Russia, China, Chile, Mexico, Germany and Syria.

"Obviously it is not going in the direction I had recommended," Annan said of the resolution on Thursday.

The United Nations wants to see a scenario in Iraq that would involve handing over sovereignty within months to an interim government, possibly by expanding the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council, which could then ask for political and military assistance.

In contrast, the United States wants a constitution written first, possibly within six months, and then elections, while it stays firmly in control of military and civilian structures.

U.N. officials said the constitutional and election process would and should take longer than six months to ensure the population participates. During the two years such a process might take, the occupation could prove dangerous and unsustainable, a senior U.N. official said.

GERMANY REMINDS

The U.S. draft offers an expanded but not pivotal role for the United Nations in conjunction with the Iraqi Governing Council and the U.S.-led coalition. It calls for a multinational force under U.S. leadership and speaks of a step-by-step transition to self-rule but no timetable.

Germany's U.N. ambassador Gunter Pleuger reminded reporters that amendments his country and France had put forth were similar to Annan's position.

"The resolution must give a very strong signal to the Iraqi people" that sovereignty is on the way, he said. "I think it is quite good if the secretary-general, who has to execute the mandate, tells us quite what he can and cannot do."

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said everyone was still negotiating and Washington was open to suggestions. "I think there's room to do it in a partnership and I think there's room to do it in a collaborative way," Negroponte said.

Diplomats said the United States had two choices: one was to scrap the resolution and continue its own policies in Iraq. But that would make it even more difficult to obtain military and financial aid.

One purpose of the resolution is to rename the military operation as a multinational force, approved by the United Nations. That was to give political cover to nations hesitant about serving in an occupation army.

Alternatively, Washington could go back to the drawing board and see if there was a possible compromise in handing over sovereignty within six months, through some kind of indirect elections, they said.

[Dog]

Kofi needs to remember this isn't the Clinton crowd he is messing with..

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[Republican Red]

In other news: Polish troops find new French missiles in Iraq

http://biz.yahoo.com/rm/031003/iraq_poland_missiles_2.html

Reuters
WARSAW, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Polish troops in Iraq have found four French-built advanced anti-aircraft missiles which were built this year, a Polish Defence Ministry spokesman told Reuters on Friday.

France strongly denied having sold any such missiles to Iraq for nearly two decades, and said it was impossible that its newest missiles should turn up in Iraq.

(excerpt)

The UN is a JOKE

[Diogenesis]

"Whereas France alone had been openly critical of the U.S. draft, Annan's comments caused most of the Security Council to reconsider positions, according to ambassadors from Russia, China, Chile, Mexico, Germany and Syria.

---

TODAY - The UN - Home of Terrorists and Slavers:

We dont need no stinking end of terrorism and slavery
from you stupid dhimmis.
It is our new religion - IslamoKofiAnnanism."

---

TOMORROW

[browardchad]

it was impossible that its newest missiles should turn up in Iraq

So, of course, the Polish troops are lying, and we all know that France had abolutely nothing to gain in keeping Saddam in power -- except a few billion here or there.

[getget]

United Nations -- In an unusually critical response to a new U.S. draft resolution on Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued an ultimatum on Thursday: Either give the United Nations a leading role in the nation's political transition, or the world body won't be involved in Iraq at all.

[Cicero]

Annan wants to revive the Food for Oil progam, a gigantic megabillion dollar ripoff that provided more funds to the UN bureaucracy than the entire UN budget put together. When the U.S. deposed Saddam, that huge trough of hog swill suddenly disappeared.

See last year's story, "Kofi Annanderson" in the Wall Street Journal.

[Jumper]

Bush will play along with the frace of UN diplomacy until the election, and if Bush is reelected the UN will then craw on her hands and knees to beg forgiveness, lest the US downsize our committment to the "world body" for those next four years....

[Carry_Okie]

Kofi needs to remember this isn't the Clinton crowd he is messing with..

So why did we rejoin UNESCO?