November 18, 2003	Tuesday	Ramazan 22, 1424

MOSCOW, Nov 17: Russia said on Monday that an agreement to transfer control of the country from US overseers to Iraqis risked failure because it did not provide a role for the United Nations.

“The agreement does not mention any kind of role for the UN, without which, in Russia’s opinion, the regulatory process will be hard pressed to win true trust from the Iraqi people and get full international recognition,” foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said in a statement.

In an agreement announced on Saturday between US overseer Paul Bremer and Jalal Talabani, current chair of the interim Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), the council said it would hold elections by the end of 2005.

Mr Talabani told a press conference in Baghdad that in the meantime a provisional government would be formed by June next year, named by a transitional assembly to be elected by the end of May.

He said the US-anointed Governing Council would draft a law “for the administration of the state for the transitional period to the end of February 2004”.

The law will “include procedures for the election of a transitional assembly by the end of May 2004”.

RESIGNATION: Italy’s representative on Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Council has resigned in protest at what he said were disagreements over the US-dominated council’s policies in the country.

“I am in deep disagreement with the policies of the coalition, whether they be about the economic reconstruction of the country or about the democratic transition,” Marco Calamai told Italian newspapers.

“The provisional authority is not working,” said Calamai, Italy’s representative on the council, headed by Paul Bremer.

“To my mind, only a new, United Nations driven international plan giving Europe a greater role can improve the situation which is seriously compromised at the moment.”

“Projects which have been implemented are not working and the Iraqis are more and more furious,” he said. “This social unrest can only encourage terrorism.” —AFP