Annan urges US to ‘share’ control of Iraq
The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, today claimed that it will be difficult to pass a resolution that could lead to the expansion of the security forces in Iraq if the US is unprepared to relinquish control of the country’s reconstruction.
Mr. Annan held a meeting in New York today with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on the issue, and had similar discussions with US secretary of state Colin Powell yesterday.
He noted that most of the UN’s member states, would like “further internationalisation through broadening of the UN role” in Iraq.
Mr. Annan continued: “There has been a question of whether UN blue helmets can take over from the coalition, and I have made it quite clear that the UN blue helmets will not do that – we don’t have the capacity and we would not.”
“But it is not excluded that the council may decide to transform the operation into a UN-mandated, multinational-force operation.”
Crucially, the secretary general noted: “It will also imply not just burden-sharing, but also sharing decisions and responsibility.”
“If that doesn’t happen I think it’s going to be very difficult to get a second resolution that will satisfy everybody,” he said.
Jack Straw insisted that the UN’s chequered recent history – particularly the agreement over resolution 1441 prior to the Iraq war – had shown that “although people’s starting positions may be different it is possible to reach a strong consensus”.
But the French government in particular, which was a strong opponent of the military action, has said that it will only send in troops if the US gives up its right to sole military command.
Security Council negotiations on the issue are continuing behind closed doors at the request of the secretary general.
