Washington and its allies have decided to form a multinational force to "stabilize" Iraq, a senior US official has been reported as saying.
According to the official, Iraq will be divided into three sectors for the rebuilding effort which cross religious and ethnic lines. The areas will be commanded by the United States, Britain and Poland.
He added that there was a consensus in Washington the United Nations which failed to back the war would play only a limited role. The UN would be restricted to "what it does best," said the official said, listing humanitarian affairs, dealing with refugees and internally displaced people, and reconstruction.
Poland said today the ten nations who haveoffered troops under the stability planhope to have their forces there by the end of this month.
British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon set the plan in motion at a meeting in London on Wednesday of 16 countries - Britain, the United States, 10 other NATO members and four non-NATO states.
France, Germany and Russia - which opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq - were not invited to the meeting, dubbed the "Initial Coalition Stabilisation Operations Conference".
The plan should not divide the European Union, the EU's Greek presidency said today.
EU foreign ministers agreed that the bloc should participate "fully" in providing aid and "significantly" in policing and other areas, while preparing for further involvement "later... as and when political and legal conditions permit," it said.
"We have in no way felt this as an issue to divide us," said Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, referring to the plans.
He was speaking to reporters after informal talks between the 15-member bloc's foreign ministers on the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo.
"We all agree that the EU should be as fully engaged as security permits in the humanitarian field, and can also contribute significantly to police and other instruments for civilian crisis management," he said.
AFP