France Urges Changes to Iraq Draft Resolution

[Spazito]

PARIS (Reuters) - France wants improvements to a U.S.-British draft resolution outlining the handover of power to an interim Iraqi government, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said on Tuesday.

It is a draft -- a draft which should be discussed and improved," Barnier said after talks in Paris with European Union (news - web sites) foreign policy chief Javier Solana. France, which opposed the war in Iraq (news - web sites), holds a power of veto in the U.N. Security Council.

snip

"It is mainly to do with the sincerity, reality, the credibility of the process of the transfer of sovereignty," he told reporters.

snip

The draft resolution says the interim government would "assume the responsibility and authority for governing a sovereign Iraq" but allow U.S. forces there to "take all measures" to keep order and sets no date for their departure.

more

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/iraq_france_dc

[Kellanved]

1. Germany pretty much said the same

BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was upbeat Tuesday on the American and British draft United Nations resolution which calls for a transfer of sovereignty to Iraq.

"I think there is a very good basis on which we can seek and reach a consensus," said Fischer whose country joined France and Russia in strongly opposing the Iraq war.

Germany, France and Russia have ruled out sending troops to Iraq.

...
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=26&story_id=7865

[saracat]

2. Those two countries

are so much more intelligent than us , it makes me ill.They show the Busco Admin up for the incompetents they are!

[leftchick]

3. I keep thinking France, Germany and the others will hold out...

on any agreement until there is regime change here in the US. They certainly know that chimpy* is not to be trusted.

[Az_lefty]

4. I'm sure your right.....

a new admin here is the only way to build a coalition to oversee Iraq.

[Spazito]

5. It looks like you are right, here is an interesting article...

spelling out some of the concerns the other countries have. They are not simple nitpicky ones, they are substantial changes that ask some very good questions, imo.

U.S. Faces U.N. Doubts on Military Control in Iraq

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States faced misgivings from other U.N. Security Council members on Tuesday over the powers and length of stay of a U.S.-led force when authority is handed over to an Iraqi interim government on June 30.

snip

Another problem is whether Iraqi troops could refuse combat orders from a U.S.-led military. But U.S. officials said this would be incorporated into a letter, attached to the resolution, from the new Iraqi leaders and the U.S. command.

Russia had wanted a two-step resolution, one to endorse the interim government and another to get its input on all other issues, but envoys said there was not time.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Interfax agency that Moscow decided on the draft after an Iraqi government was formed "to judge whether the new government can be credible first and foremost in the eyes of Iraqis themselves." (Additional reporting by Jon Boyle in Paris,)

more

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/iraq_un_reaction_dc

(I found the last two paragraphs very interesting, a two-step resolution, it shows that there is NO trust in the US doing what they say they will do within the existing resolution, imo.)

[abelenkpe]

6. I don't want the UN to approve

of the US draft. I still feel it would be a way of legitimizing the war. The current proposal is ludicrous. Iraq should elect it's own government, not have it appointed by the UN which is frequently bullied by US interests.

Iraq should control it's own oil supply, and police it's own people. And the US and UK should leave if requested by a legitimately elected government.

Everything else is just a puppet regime.

I think China, Russia, Germany and France would seriously lose face if they approved of this resolution.

[flaminbats]

7. Kerry should propose having the troops out by June 2005.

If the Iraqi government is established by Bush this June and holds elections next January then why not let this elected government take command of its police and security forces? The U.N. can then be brought in if their assistance is requested by the new government, and our forces could play a role in this international operation to bring security to Iraq. All prisons would be placed under the authority of the new Iraqi government, and half of the American troops withdrawn from Iraq should be moved to bases in either Kuwait or Afghanistan. Such a move will make our forces available to assist Iraq, in the event that Iraq is invaded by a neighboring country and wants our help.

All proceeds from the gas and oil development fund should be used to fund universal healthcare in Iraq, a public education system, and public works programs to rebuild the economy. None of this money should be used to clean up the environmental damage caused by the war, to pay U.S. corporations for their operations, or to pay for U.S. military operations. That should be entirely funded with the repeal of all taxcuts.