UNITED NATIONS, Oct 16: The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a US-sponsored resolution on Iraq asking the country’s Governing Council to set a “timetable (by Dec 15) and a programme for the drafting of a new constitution for Iraq and for the holding of democratic elections under that constitution”.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Britain, Spain and Cameroon and adopted by a 15-0 vote, is being seen as a diplomatic victory for Washington.
France, Russia and Germany, who had been insisting on a timeline for handing over sovereignty to the Iraqis and for giving the United Nations a larger role, came on board despite getting no assurances from the US of setting a deadline for transfer of power.
The United States also won backing from China and Pakistan, and finally — and most surprisingly — from Syria, the only Arab nation on the Security Council and a staunch opponent of the invasion of Iraq.
However, French officials said the Europeans’ support would not translate into the funds and troops sought by Washington to ease pressure of American forces in Iraq.
Some amendments proposed by France, Germany and Russia were accepted, but the US refused to set a timetable for the end of occupation and self-rule for Iraqis.
“This draft certainly does not go as far as we would have liked,” French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere told the council after the vote. “We would have preferred in particular that a clear text set more restrictive and closer deadlines for the transfer of responsibilities.”
“We agreed that the resolution is really an important step in the right direction,” German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said after a 45-minute conference call with presidents Jacques Chirac of France and Vladimir Putin of Russia.
“Many things have been included from what we proposed. This led us ... to jointly agree to the resolution.”
The resolution was revised five times since August to strengthen the role of the United Nations and to chart a path toward Iraqi sovereignty. But the United States repeatedly rejected efforts by France, Russia and Germany to give a precise timeline for the end of its occupation.
The resolution envisages a UN-authorized multinational force in Iraq under US leadership _ a concession to countries like Pakistan wary of serving the occupation administration.
Agencies add: In a joint statement after the vote, officials from France, Germany and Russia said: “The conditions are not created for us to envisage any military commitment and no further financial contributions beyond our present engagement.”
France and Germany have pledged a modest 232 million dollars for Iraq’s reconstruction from the 15-nation European Union’s executive commission.
In Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov reiterated that Russia would not send troops.
Until this week, France, Germany and Russia had been expected to abstain. But on Wednesday diplomats said Russian President Vladimir Putin had evidently decided his relations with Washington superseded opposition to the resolution. In Brussels, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, after conferring by telephone with French President Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin, announced support of the three countries early on Thursday.
But he said the measure would not induce aid to Iraq in the foreseeable future.
While the Bush administration probably had the nine votes needed for adoption in the 15-nation Security Council, a narrow victory would have been considered a political failure in recruiting support for U.S. policies.
BUSH HAILS PASSAGE: US President George Bush thanked the Security Council for approving the resolution, saying the measure would help make that country “peaceful and free”.
“A democratic Iraq will stand as an example to all the Middle East. We believe — and the Iraqi people will show — that liberty is the hope and the right of every land,” he said in a speech in California.
“Today, I want to thank the United Nations Security Council for unanimously passing a resolution supporting our efforts to build a peaceful and free Iraq,” Mr Bush said.
In addition to the faint praise for the world body, the US president also issued a ringing defence of Washington’s refusal to agree to speed up the timetable for ending its occupation and transferring power to Iraqis.
“We want the process to go as quickly as possible, yet it must be done right. The free institutions of Iraq must stand the test of time,” said Mr Bush, who stressed that Iraqis must craft a constitution and then hold elections.
“We’re following an orderly plan to reach this goal,” he said.
In Washington, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said: “It’s a good thing that it (resolution) passed,” adding that the document might make it easier for some countries to contribute troops.