US to pave way for UN in Iraq
The United States has begun negotiations with the UN to authorise a multinational force in Iraq.
No exact details have been released yet, but according to senior administrations officials the plan may be put to the Security Council later this week.
It is thought that President Bush will insist that the troops be placed under American command, but that some political authority may be rescinded.
The decision will redefine the role of the UN in the process of transferring power to the Iraqi people and opens the way for more personnel and financial contributions to help Iraq’s reconstruction. It is also being seen as an admission that, amid daily attacks, US troops in Iraq are overstretched.
The move would allow the US to share the burden of the reconstruction and policing of the country. A recent American study has reported that US troops will not be able to remain in Iraq unaided after March without dramatically increased investment.
A senior Bush official said that they envision withdrawing the majority of American forces from Iraq within 18 months to two years, and ‘making this peacekeeping operation look like the kind that are familiar to us’.
The Pentagon has estimated that it is spending about $3.9 billion a month in Iraq with more money needed to begin the ‘reconstruction’
