Culled from BBC online.
------------------------------
France and Germany reject US Iraq plans
French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
have said a US draft resolution seeking greater international help in Iraq
does not go far enough.
Speaking after talks in Germany, Mr Chirac said the US proposals "seem
quite far from what appears to us the primary objective, namely the
transfer of political responsibility to an Iraqi government as soon as
possible".
In the draft text published on Thursday, the US says the UN should play a
role in preparing for a new Iraqi government but it does not cede any
political or military control.
It came as US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called for 10,000 more
foreign troops to be deployed in Iraq as part of a multinational force
called for in the draft resolution.
Mr Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit on Thursday for
talks with US commanders and civilian leaders there.
Britain has also ordered a review of its troop numbers in Iraq.
The US draft resolution says the UN should play a "vital role" in Iraq and
its special representative should co-operate with the US-appointed Iraqi
Governing Council in preparing for elections.
Plan 'inadequate'
Washington hopes the proposal will entice member states to contribute
troops to the multinational force.
But, speaking in Dresden, the French and German leaders said the
concessions were inadequate.
Mr Schroeder said the draft resolution was "not dynamic enough, not
sufficient".
Germany and France - which wields the power of veto at the UN Security
Council - played a leading role in opposing US plans to go to war with Iraq
before the conflict began in March.
The BBC's David Bamford at the UN says in particular, France and Germany
believe the UN should take over responsibility for the political process,
rather than simply adopting a facilitating role.
The draft resolution, he says, does not specifically state that it will be
the United States that commands the multinational force, but that was
implicit in comments on Wednesday by the Secretary of State, Colin Powell,
who said the US will continue to play the dominant role in Iraq.
Multinational force
UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called for an extra 5,000 UK soldiers,
warning of a "strategic failure" otherwise.
Russia has also announced that it "does not rule out" sending peacekeepers
to Iraq if an appropriate UN Security Council resolution is passed.
There is no force or threat out there that can't be handled
Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez
US commander in Iraq
Speaking to reporters on his way to Baghdad, Mr Rumsfeld said it was
critical to get more local forces to bolster the 50,000 Iraqi personnel
already in place.
Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the US commander on the ground in Iraq,
said on Thursday that he currently had adequate troops.
"There is no force or threat out there that can't be handled," he told
reporters in Baghdad.
However, he added, more soldiers could be needed to meet future challenges
such as border security, or dealing with internal conflict or an increased
threat from foreign militants
Overnight, American troops fought battles with militants in Tikrit and
Falluja, two former strongholds of the ousted regime, but there are no
reports of casualties.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3080094.stm
Published: 2003/09/04 15:48:41 GMT
© BBC MMIII
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