US: The United States predicted last night that it would succeed in getting its latest resolution on Iraq through the UN Security Council, writes Conor O'Clery in New York.
The US originally set 3 p.m. (8 p.m. Irish time) to convene the 15 council members for final consultations prior to a vote, but this was pushed back to 5 p.m. amid last-minute negotiations with critics. The resolution authorises a multinational force under US command and calls for "substantial pledges" from the 191 UN member-states at a donor conference in Madrid from October 23rd to 24th.
The US pushed the matter to a vote after rejecting a key demand by France, Russia and Germany for a timetable for the transfer of power to Iraqis but at the same time making some concessions on the transfer of power.
Diplomats from the three countries, along with China, Pakistan and Angola, pressed for further negotiations as the clock moved towards a crucial vote. The trio reportedly dropped demands that power be handed over to an Iraqi provisional government within a few months, and that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan be given political control over the transition.
They proposed instead that Mr Annan and the Security Council be given a role in establishing a timetable for transferring power to an Iraqi government. The text allows the US-led coalition to retain full sovereignty in Iraq until after the establishment of an Iraqi government elected under a new constitution, a process that could take years.
US Ambassador John Negroponte said the US made every effort possible to accommodate "the concepts but not necessarily all the details" in the amendments proposed by France, Russia and Germany.
"We do understand there are others who would like a few more changes. We'll obviously listen to that and we'll see how to work this to get the maximum possible support," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Britain, Spain and Cameroon, authorises a multinational force to maintain security and stability in Iraq, urges UN states to provide military forces to the multinational force, and gives the Security Council the right to review the mission after one year.
The text on the website of the US mission to the UN up to last night reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, and states that the authority of the US-led governing Coalition Provisional Authority will cease when "an internationally recognized, representative government established by the people of Iraq" is sworn in. It invites the Governing Council to submit by December 15th to the Security Council a timetable and a programme for the drafting of a new constitution for Iraq and for the holding of democratic elections.
The resolution also says the UN should strengthen its vital role in Iraq through providing humanitarian relief, promoting economic reconstruction and development and advancing efforts "to restore and establish national and local institutions for representative government".
The resolution urged member countries to make "substantial pledges" at the October International Donor Conference in Madrid. It requires the US to report to the UN every six months on the operation of the international force.
Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said "the cardinal aim is to transfer power back to the Iraqis as soon as possible." Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said Moscow's position on the resolution would depend on "the readiness of the authors of the draft resolution to take into account these ideas of ours."