http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=464488
US agrees to international control of its troops in Iraq
By Leonard Doyle and Stephen Castle in Brussels
17 November 2003
The United States accepts that to avoid humiliating failure in Iraq it needs to
bring its forces quickly under international control and speed the handover of
power, Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief, has said.
Decisions along these lines will be made in the "coming days", Mr Solana told
The Independent.
The comments, signalling a major policy shift by the US, precede President
George Bush's state visit this week to London, during which he and Tony Blair
will discuss an exit strategy for forces in Iraq.
Mr Solana underlined the change of mood in Washington, saying: "Everybody has
moved, including the United States, because the United States has a real
problem and when you have a real problem you need help." There is a "growing
consensus" that the transfer of power has to be accelerated, he said. "How fast
can it be done? I would say the faster the better."
He added: "The more the international community is incorporated under the
international organisations [the better]. That is the lesson I think everyone
is learning. Our American friends are learning that. We will see in the coming
days decisions along these lines."
The Bush administration spelt out over the weekend its new plans for the faster
transfer of power from Americans to the Iraqis, with a transitional government
now scheduled to take over from the end of June. Before, US officials had said
that Iraqi leaders should write a constitution first, then hold elections.
As the EU's foreign policy representative, Mr Solana has been playing a
significant, behind-the-scenes role. Until now, the US had resisted putting the
allied forces under international auspices, although there is growing support
in Washington for a Nato role.
Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, arrives in Brussels tonight for talks
with EU ministers, which he will combine with a meeting with the retiring Nato
secretary general, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. Diplomats say that Mr Powell
is expected to "test the water" about the involvement of the transatlantic
alliance in Iraq. The litany of setbacks, growing US casualties and the recent
killing of 18 Italian servicemen has brought intense domestic and international
pressure on the Bush administration to give the occupying force more
legitimacy.
Eager to counter this domestic unease, the American military sought to
advertise their latest crack-down. They declared that they had fired a
satellite-guided missile at what they said was an insurgents' training camp
west of Kirkuk.
But there was more grim news on Saturday with the collision of two Black Hawk
helicopters after one was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Seventeen American
soldiers died, the worst single loss of life in one incident since President
Bush ordered the US-led invasion.
He insisted yesterday that the US would not "cut and run". In an interview with
Breakfast with Frost on BBC1, the President said the United States would not
spend "years and years" in Iraq. But he rejected as "not a fair comment" claims
that the US was unprepared for winning peace. Mounting violence in Iraq was
"nothing more than a power grab". He added: "There are some foreign fighters,
mujahedin types or al-Qa'ida, or al-Qa'ida affiliates involved, as well."
America's chief post-war administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, also suggested
that US-led forces would remain on a different basis. "Our presence here will
change from an occupation to an invited presence," he said. "I'm sure the Iraqi
government is going to want to have coalition forces here for its own security
for some time.
There have been no specifics yet about how the international community would
control the mainly American and British forces in Iraq. Nato remains the only
strong possibility because it would provide international credibility while
leaving control with a military organisation which Washington dominates.
Nato has already proved its willingness to act outside its traditional sphere
of operations by taking a role in Afghanistan. But to allow it to deploy in
Iraq would mean getting the approval of all 19 Nato allies including France,
Germany and Belgium, all staunch opponents of the war.
They would need to be satisfiedthat the UN had been given a sufficient role in
the political control of Iraq. Diplomats say that the US and Britain will need
to be certain that no one will block an Iraq mission before they make a
request.
With the US-led occupation likely to be declared over the next year, Mr Bremer
said that work would start on a constitutional settlement. "We'll have a bill
of rights. We'll recognise equality for all citizens. We'll recognise an
independent judiciary. We'll talk about a federal government," he said.
Mr Bremer explained that the Americans would work with the Iraqi Governing
Council in writing the interim constitution. There would also be a side
agreement dealing with security and the presence of American and coalition
forces in Iraq, he said.
Al-Qa'ida claimed responsibility for the bombings of two Istanbul synagogues
which killed at least 23 people and vowed further attacks, the London-based
Arab newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi said yesterday.
17 November 2003 08:14
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