EU Ministers Support Iraq Handover

[papau]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3205891,00.html

EU Ministers Support Iraq Handover

Monday September 29, 2003 3:59 PM
By CONSTANT BRAND Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The European Union, whose members were bitterly divided over the war to oust Saddam Hussein, disagreed Monday on a timetable for a handover of power to a sovereign Iraqi government. Meeting behind closed doors, the foreign ministers of the 15-member European Union issued a unanimous statement that a transfer of power in Iraq should occur ``as soon as feasible'' and that the United Nations should play a ``vital'' role in the transition. The EU foreign ministers also asked foreign policy chief Javier Solana to develop proposals on an ``enhanced EU role in Iraq,'' including the possible dispatch of peacekeepers. The statement did not detail the positions of member nations about a timetable, but French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin over the weekend called for a transfer by the end of the year.

The United States has proposed that Iraq adopt a new constitution in six months, with elections to follow, and a greater U.N. role in the country's reconstruction. EU foreign ministers said a new U.N. resolution was essential to formalize a transfer of power from the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and that the United Nations ``should play a vital role'' in Iraq's reconstruction. Their statement said it was necessary to reach a deal ``on a realistic schedule for handing over political control to the Iraqi people ... as soon as feasible.'' The issue over how and when power should be given to an independent Iraqi government is thwarting a deal at the United Nations, pitting France against the United States. <snip>