September 30, 2003	Tuesday	Sha’aban 3, 1424

WASHINGTON, Sept 29: The United States, in a new draft UN resolution on Iraq, will lay out a new “political horizon” to put Iraqis back in control of the country and give a bigger political role to the United Nations, a US official said on Monday.

The resolution, which US Secretary of State Colin Powell predicted will be ready within the next few days, answers European complaints that a previous US draft was too vague about how Iraqis could replace US occupation authorities.

The United States wants the UN Security Council to pass the resolution in time for a conference of donors of aid to Iraq, scheduled to open in Madrid on Oct. 23, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

“Certainly having it before Madrid would make Madrid work a lot easier and a lot better,” he told a daily briefing.

The current draft, circulated earlier this month, invites the Iraqi Governing Council to offer a timetable for drafting a new constitution and holding democratic elections.

But the United States did not call for a vote on it in the Security Council because France, Russia and Germany did not think it ceded enough power to Iraqis and the United Nations.

Mr Boucher said: “The goal is to respond in some ways to the desire of other governments to have a sense ... of movement and momentum toward that political horizon, so we will be making appropriate modifications.”

SHARING THE BURDEN: Another US official said: We’re trying to craft language that doesn’t get too specific but could probably mention the constitution and elections and specifying how the United Nations would be involved. It’s a response to the comments that the French have made.”

The aim of the resolution from Washington’s point of view is to persuade other governments to share the burden of running and rebuilding Iraq until Iraqis take over.

The United States wants foreign troops and pledges of money for reconstruction but so far offers have been meagre.

The United States and Britain are providing about 140,000 of the 150,000 foreign troops in Iraq. While the Bush administration has asked Congress for some $20 billion for reconstruction, others have offered about $500 million.—Reuters