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| Friday, 11 June 2004 |
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Questions remain after UN endorsement of Iraq transfer UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) - The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution backing the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq's interim government by June 30, in a strong show of international support for establishing a stable and democratic new Iraq. The resolution, which was passed after two weeks of intense negotiations, endorsed "a sovereign interim government of Iraq" and authorized the US-led multinational force to stay until elections by the end of 2005. It was widely hailed as "a milestone" in the history of Iraq, which had been under decades of Saddam Hussein's authoritarian rule, long-standing stringent international sanctions, and more than one year of foreign occupation. "It is a genuine expression of the will of the international community, led by the Security Council, to come together again after last year's divisions and to help the Iraqi people take charge of their own political destiny," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The resolution "marks a defining moment for Iraq," said British Ambassador to the United Nations Emyr Jones Parry after the council vote. "The promise is great - a stable, federal, democratic, pluralistic and unified Iraq where there is full respect for human rights." By adopting the US-British drafted resolution, the council outlined a roadmap which may lead the post-occupation Iraq out of the current chaotic and violent situation. The logic of the ambitious plan is to win the heart of the Iraqi people and the opponents of the US-led war on Iraq through an end of foreign occupation and a restoration of Iraqis' self-rule. Amid relief that such a resolution was secured before the June 30 deadline, however, many, including Annan himself, are not sure whether the logic would work on the ground. A major concern is whether the blueprint, a compromise result between the occupying powers and other key council members, could be widely accepted by ordinary Iraqis, or whether the message of ending occupation it aims to send could reach their heart. "Only time will tell whether the adoption of the resolution would mark a turnaround for Iraq," said Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Alexander Konuzin. "Much will depend on whether Iraqis themselves sense a transformation from occupation to full sovereignty." Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Munoz echoed his view. "Its success would be proven in the reaction in world public opinion and on the streets of Baghdad," he said. "The resolution is the theoretical underpinning of the new phase in Iraq," he added. "It remains to be seen how that would translate into practice." "Violence in Iraq will not stop automatically with the resolution, or with the assumption of the interim Iraqi government on June 30," he warned. Another concern is whether the "full responsibility and authority" the new Iraqi government is supposed to assume would be fully respected by the US-led multinational force, mostly US troops. Many council members expressed reservations over the range of sovereignty the new resolution endorses for the new Iraqi government, in particular in the field of security. French UN Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said France had pressed for "a final say" for Iraqis in the military operations of the US troops, in case that the two sides could not agree on sensitive major operations, like those in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah. He said France gave up the demand since it was not explicitly requested by leaders of the Iraqi interim government. But he stressed, "France cannot moreover imagine the multinational force going against the opinion of Iraq's sovereign government." German UN Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said his country supported the resolution "as an important step toward the restoration of full sovereignty of the Iraqi interim government in all relevant areas and toward Iraqi ownership." "It is of crucial importance now that the resolution is implemented in Iraq with unequivocal respect for the full sovereignty of Iraq." Furthermore, doubts remain over whether UN staff would return to Iraq in large numbers to match "a leading role" assigned to the world body by the resolution. Iraq war opponents, including France, Germany and China, have long demanded a leading UN role in Iraq to legitimize its political process and internationalize its social and economic reconstruction. But soon after the council voted for the resolution, Annan told reporters that UN staff would go back to Iraq "as circumstances permit," an allusion to the precondition of improved security. "It has to be an environment that allows us reasonable mobility and flexibility for us to carry on our work," he explained. "We are not asking for hundred percent security or guarantee." "If circumstances do not permit, we may have to find some creative ways of doing as much as we can," said Annan cautiously, who ordered the withdrawal of all UN staff from Iraq in late 2003 after the UN office in Baghdad came under two deadly terrorist attacks. Other concerns include whether Iraq's various political and religious forces, especially the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites, could unite under the flag of a new Iraq and make the new government fully functional. If the new government fails to meet the high expectations of ordinary Iraqis, who have longed for stability and normal life, the credibility and legitimacy of the government could be in danger, diplomats warned. An incompetent government could make Iraqis further disillusioned about their future and fuel more violence, thus putting the UN-approved political process at risk, they said. As Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya put it, the UN resolution does mark a new beginning for Iraq, but its implementation "will be fraught with challenges." |
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