One (idea) is a multinational force under U.N. leadership, but the American would be the U.N. commander,” Armitage

WASHINGTON, August 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The United States may be willing to accept U.N. leadership of the international force in Iraq if a U.S. general is in command, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in remarks released Wednesday, August 27, as a top hawkish Pentagon advisor said the solution to the Iraq quagmire is to hand over the oil-rich country back to the Iraqis.

"One (idea) is a multinational force under U.N. leadership, but the American would be the U.N. commander,” Armitage said in an interview with three regional U.S. news syndicates, with no details on the proposal.

He said the proposal is one of several being considered by diplomats at the United Nations as the United States attempts to enhance participation in the force by expanding the U.N. mandate for Iraqi stabilization and reconstruction, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"That's one idea that's being explored, and others just started talking about widening decision-making," he said.

Armitage declined to offer any details about the proposal, which he made public as U.S. plans for a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq have met fierce resistance from the anti-war camp.

"(We) haven't finished our deliberations on that; we've got a ways to go," he said, adding: "I don't think it helps to throw them (our ideas) out publicly right now."

Washington has said repeatedly that it is unwilling to cede command and control of the U.S.-led forces now in Iraq, a stance that has drawn opposition from other members of the Security Council.

But the Bush administration came under fire as the situation in Iraq is still far from stable, and attacks are steadily growing against U.S. forces amid anti-American outrage among ordinary Iraqis.

Armitage's remarks also reflect a difficult effort to share the burden more widely, as many of world countries, including Washington’s allies, dismissed the idea of military contribution to the restive Iraq. 

He also said it was possible the United States might drop the idea for a new resolution if reaching a consensus proved too difficult.

"We've made no final decisions,” said the U.S. official.

Bush Needs More Funds

"Now the solution is to hand over power to the Iraqis as soon as possible," Perle

The suggestion that Washington is open to considering U.N. leadership for the force emerged as U.S. President George Bush’s spokeswoman said the president may soon seek new funds for the occupation of Iraq.

Claire Buchan said the administration was discussing the exact amount to be requested with U.S. civil administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer and with military officials before asking the U.S. Congress for the money.

"We don't have the numbers at this point, and until we have responsible numbers, we're not going to go to Congress," she told reporters here while the president relaxed on his nearby ranch.

Bremer said one day earlier during a trip to Washington, where he met with Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, that the cost of reconstruction would run into "several tens of billions of dollars".

"Victory in Iraq is critical, it's critical to the war on terrorism, we will do everything to ensure that the resources are there to finish the job and to do that effectively,” said Buchan.

Separately, Bush announced in a statement that he was invoking his prerogative to limit a planned January 2004 pay raise for many federal workers, saying it "would interfere" with the war on terrorism.

"Such cost increases would threaten our efforts against terrorism or force deep cuts in discretionary spending or federal employment to stay within budget," Bush said in a statement.

Top administration officials have said the White House will seek billions in supplemental financing for the reconstruction of Iraq, which Bush said before the invasion would pay for its own rebuilding with oil sales.

The move could affect Bush’s popularity rates among the Americans, amid fears that the U.S. forces will be drawn into a long and costly occupation of Iraq.

According to a Newsweek poll released Saturday, August 23, more than 49 percent of voters would not want Bush to return for a second term in office if the elections were now, compared with 44 percent who would.

Admitting Mistakes

In the meanwhile, top Pentagon adviser Richard Perle admitted Thursday that the United States had made a key blunder in its planning ahead of launching its military campaign in Iraq - the failure to forge close ties with the Iraqi opposition.

Perle, 61, an assistant secretary of defense under president Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, was one of best known and most forceful proponents of military aggression against Iraq.

In an interview published in the French newspaper Le Figaro on Thursday, he pointed to a key mistake in the planning for the campaign which has hindered efforts to set up a stable, Iraqi-led administration.

"Our biggest mistake, in my opinion, was the failure to work closely with Iraqis before the war so that an Iraqi opposition could have been able to immediately take the matter in hand," Perle admitted.

"Now the solution is to hand over power to the Iraqis as soon as possible."

However Perle said that the answer did not lie in setting up a U.N.-led administration in Iraq.

"The United Nations system is not adapted to deal with the new threats, like international terrorism" he said.

Perle is recognized as one of the main architects of Washington's campaign to launch the offensive in Iraq although he has since played down his role in hatching the invasion plan.

The chief U.S. hawk admitted the question of Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction remained "crucial" but voiced confidence that examples would be found.

"Rest assured we will discover the whole story of these arms and I am sure that we will soon physically find some."

He said it was "undeniable" that Syria has chemical weapons and that Iran is working on a nuclear arms program.

"It is a fact that the existence of these arms represents for us a serious threat."