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"Initially
military commanders, the coalition commanders will be responsible
for stabilizing the situation," Powell said
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BRUSSELS,
April 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Sparking a new row with
European allies, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell insisted Thursday,
April 3, that "the U.S.-led coalition" in Iraq should take the
lead in rebuilding the war-torn country.
Speaking
at a press conference after a meeting with E.U. and NATO counterparts
Powell said the U.N. would only have a role as a "partner" in
the process, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"I
think the coalition has to play the leading role in determining the way
forward…There will definitely be a U.N. role," Powell said, but
added: "The exact role of the United Nations remains to be
seen."
However,
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin emphasized a "very
broad consensus" among E.U. and NATO members on giving the U.N. a
central role in post-war Iraq.
Greek
Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country currently holds the
revolving E.U. presidency, also asserted that the E.U. would only give
its full backing to the post-war reconstruction of Iraq if the process
was authorized by a U.N. resolution.
Powell
said he hoped U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan would appoint a
"coordinator" to work alongside an interim authority, which
would be established "quickly" once order is restored after
the conflict.
"We
are hopeful that the (U.N.) secretary general will in the very near
future appoint a coordinator who can work with the coalition and work
with the interim authority when it is created to supervise the flow of
humanitarian aid coming from U.N. organizations and also serve as the
eyes and ears of the U.N. in the area," Powell said.
Wooing
the E.U., Powell said "the work of reconstruction and rebuilding
will require the entire international community to join together."
Describing
the U.S. view of post-war Iraq, he foresaw a "phased process"
leading to an Iraqi-led civilian authority.
"Initially
military commanders, the coalition commanders will be responsible for
stabilizing the situation," Powell said.
But
in the meantime "we will quickly want to bring in individuals who
can establish an interim Iraqi authority."
On
March 27, Powell said the U.S. would allow the U.N. to play a very limited
role in post-war Iraq.
"We
didn’t take on this huge burden with our coalition partners not to be
able to have a significant dominating control over how it unfolds in the
future," he said.
E.U.
Needs U.N. Mandate To Help Rebuild Iraq
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"A
U.N. resolution will be a prerequisite for a full involvement of
the E.U. in the post-conflict reconstruction process," said
Papandreou
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On
the other extreme, the E.U. presidency said it would only give its full
backing to the post-war reconstruction of Iraq if the process was
authorized by a U.N. resolution.
"A
U.N. resolution will be a prerequisite for a full involvement of the
European Union in the post-conflict reconstruction process," said
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country currently holds
the revolving E.U. presidency.
Papandreou
said that the United States was aware of the importance the E.U. placed
on the U.N.'s role in post-war Iraq and that the E.U. and NATO ministers
had emphasised that position during their talks.
"All
of us stressed the importance that we place on the U.N. role in all
phases of the Iraqi crisis, and certainly from now on," he
stressed.
Papandreou
asserted that the Middle East peace process was a key to avoiding
similar conflicts in the future and reiterated the E.U.'s commitment to
the Arab world.
"We
have stressed that it is top priority to move forward with the Middle
East peace process and the publication and the implementation of the
roadmap," he underlined, referring to drafted plan envisaging the
establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005.
"This
is not a clash of civilisations, this is a dialogue of
civilisations," Papandreou said.
Broad
Consensus On U.N. Role
For
his part, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said there was a
"very broad consensus" among E.U. and NATO members on giving
the U.N. a central role in post-war Iraq, declining to comment whether
the view was supported by the United States.
"After
the contacts I have had .. A very broad consensus is emerging to really
rely on the United Nations," he told reporters.
France
has been a vocal supporter of the U.N. role in post-war Iraq, insisting
that the United Nations must oversee
the reconstruction of Iraq and be "at the heart of the
reconstruction and administration of Iraq."
"The
legitimacy of our action depends on it," he told the prestigious
London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) on
March 27.
De
Villepin further said that France was ready to mend fences with the
United States that came about when it refused to back its unilateral war
on Iraq without a U.N. mandate.
