September 30, 2003	Tuesday	Sha’aban 3, 1424

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BRUSSELS, Sept 29: The European Union on Monday called on Iraqis to regain sovereignty from the US-led coalition within a “realistic schedule”, but divisions between Britain and France remained evident.

At a EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Britain and the rest of its EU partners said they “acknowledged the necessity to reach agreement on a realistic schedule for handing over political responsibility to the Iraqi people”.

France said it wanted sovereignty to be handed over to the Iraqi people within “six to eight months”.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in Brussels: “There are two fundamental points for France: first of all, transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis and then the importance of a multi-lateral, independent and transparent framework for the donors’ conference.”

But British Europe Minister Denis MacShane said restoring security was a more pressing question than who should run Iraq.

“All across Europe and the rest of the world, people want to put yesterday’s debate behind us and move on to get Iraq in due course back obviously to the full control of the Iraqi people,” he told reporters.

“But security is vital and we have to be present on the ground to help Iraqis defeat the fascist leftovers from the Saddam regime, the terrorists, the jihadis who want to make life a misery again for the Iraqi people,” MacShane added.—AFP