September 13, 2003	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1424

WASHINGTON, Sept 12: Giving the United Nations overall power in Iraq and shunting aside the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) would be unrealistic and impractical, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday.

“The UN has a role to play, but to think that the UN could suddenly take this all over, to the exclusion of the CPA, is not realistic,” Mr Powell said in an interview with the Al Jazeera television.

“It would not work. It’s not practical. Nor have I heard anybody in the UN say that that’s what they want to do,” said Mr Powell.

Giving the UN a predominant role in the political process in Iraq is central to amendments put forth by France, Germany and Russia to a US draft resolution before the UN Security Council.

That draft is to be debated in Geneva on Saturday at a meeting of the five permanent security council members — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Mr Powell, who is scheduled to participate in that meeting, told Al Jazeera he had heard no one at the United Nations favor the departure of US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer.

What had heard, he said, were calls for greater UN decision-making in Iraq, “and in sharing responsibility and accountability.

“I think we can find language for a resolution that will deal with that concern and give everybody an opportunity to play a responsible role,” he said.

GERMAN TROOPS: In another television interview, the secretary of state said Washington was not expecting German troops to take part in any future multinational force in Iraq and was satisfied that Berlin was playing its role.

“I’m not expecting any German troops,” Mr Powell told ARD public television. “Germany is playing its role. We fully understand the German government’s position,” he said.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has always opposed sending troops to Iraq, but has repeatedly reaffirmed that German troops will continue to play a prominent role in the “war against terrorism” and international peacekeeping missions.

Germany, after the United States, has the greatest number of troops deployed abroad in peacekeeping operations.

Berlin has also been careful to try to repair the damage done to its relations with Washington when it opposed the invasion of Iraq.

“Germany is contributing in many other ways,” Mr Powell acknowledged, “in Afghanistan and in other parts of the world as well.” —AFP