Security Council receives resolution on Iraq, to hold more discussions next week

The United States, United Kingdom and Spain presented the United Nations Security Council today with a draft resolution for interim arrangements in Iraq and the UN role there, and the Council President said experts would consider technical aspects on Monday before a full-fledged ambassadorial session on Wednesday.

"On Monday we will have a meeting in the afternoon of delegation experts who will go through the resolution and look at various issues from our technical point of view and clarify some of the issues," Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, Council President for May said after closed-door consultations of the 15-member body. "On Wednesday there will be consultations on the draft resolution at the ambassadorial level."

The draft calls for Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a special coordinator who would, among other things, coordinate humanitarian aid and work with the occupying authority and the people of Iraq to restore national and local institutions.

Describing the resolution's main points, British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock told reporters it was designed to be "a significant next step" in four areas: restoring Iraq back to the Iraqi people for their own purposes and benefits as quickly as possible; establishing what "a vital role" for the UN will be; lifting sanctions; and economic, humanitarian and funding arrangements.

He said there was "no great need to overreach for the United Nations or the international community in this stage when the authority on the ground has a definite obligation to fulfil." He added that so far there has been a "decidedly constructive" atmosphere in the Council with legal questions about what the language means.

US Ambassador John Negroponte said the resolution would lift sanctions, encourage the international community to help the Iraqi people build a better future, establish a UN coordinator for UN involvement, and wind down the Oil-for-Food programme while providing for continued delivery of food, medicine and other essential goods.

"Obviously, there's a great deal of interest in the definition of the United Nations role," he told reporters after the session. He said the atmosphere of the meeting was "very constructive and was very much in the nature of 'well, how can we better understand this resolution and how can we look forward instead of looking back at some of the acrimonious exchanges of the past'."

Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sablière of France, which had strongly opposed military action in Iraq, told reporters he felt the UN role should be strengthened. "We also think that the role of the UN coordinator or special representative, whatever you call it, should be enhanced in particular in the political field," he said.

Calling the meeting "very constructive and promising," he added: "There are positive elements in this draft resolution in the humanitarian and economic field, there are also some difficulties and question marks. We are approaching this discussion with a very constructive approach and with a very pragmatic approach." He hoped it would be possible to reach a consensus in the coming days and weeks.

Ambassador Gunter Pleuger of Germany, which also opposed military action, said there were questions over what the responsibility of the UN special representative in Iraq would be in real terms. "I think some clarifications in that respect are necessary," he told reporters, adding that members would discuss it with Secretary-General Kofi Annan during their retreat this weekend "because it is his representative and we would like to hear the view of the Secretary General himself."

He said the general trend of the discussion was that "this draft does not fight the fights of the past but is looking to the future and trying to deal with the problems that are at hand now, and there is a general feeling that we should go and try to find (a way) back to the unity of purpose of the Security Council."