UN: The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, has said agreement on a draft resolution to lift UN sanctions against Iraq is likely in the coming days, writes Derek Scally
Mr Powell received Berlin's backing for the lifting of sanctions after meeting the German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, yesterday for talks aimed at healing the rift between Washington and Berlin over the war in Iraq.
"With the co-operation that I have seen expressed here today as well as the kind of co-operation we're having with other members of the Security Council, it should be possible to come to closure quickly over the next several days, a week, on a UN resolution that will lift sanctions," said Mr Powell.
A tired-looking Mr Schröder said: "Our opinion is that the sanctions that have been placed no longer make any sense and that they should be lifted as soon as possible."
The German leader cut short his week-long trip to south-east Asia to receive the first US politician to visit Germany since differences over the Iraq war left bilateral relations "poisoned", in the words of one White House official. The chemistry between the two men was friendly but business-like, a far cry from the back-slapping greeting Mr Schröder gave President Bush on his visit to Berlin a year ago.
Mr Powell was in better form after a meeting with the German Foreign Minister, Mr Fischer, whom he called "my dear friend Joschka", in a government building that formerly housed the commander of US forces in Berlin. "This house I know well," said Mr Powell, remembering his time as a soldier in Germany.
The lifting of sanctions in Iraq would, he said, "begin the flow of oil which will generate revenue that will benefit the Iraqi people".
"That will help the Iraqi people achieve their dreams and achieve the freedom we see today in Berlin," he said.
Mr Powell said he was anxious to put the differences over the war in the past and that he was "looking forward to working with Germany and Security Council" in the future.
"Disagreements are not uncommon among friends," he said, adding that the friendship between the US and Germany was strong.
The remark was an echo of the argument put forward repeatedly by Mr Schröder in recent months when relations with Washington were at their iciest. He angered the US by turning his opposition to a war in a Iraq into the key election campaign issue last September.
Apart from a brief handshake at the NATO summit in Prague last November, Mr Schröder has had no contact with the US President in the last six months.
The two Foreign Ministers said they didn't discuss a role for NATO in Iraq. Mr Powell said the alliance had "expressed willingness to play a role" but Mr Fischer adopted a wait-and-see approach, saying that Germany was focused on the Security Council decision expected next week.
"We focused on the Security Council decision. Everything else is in the future ... I am optimistic," said Mr Fischer.