France has no intention to veto new Iraq resolution

Chirac pushes for quick power transfer to Iraqis, timetable for sovereignty

22 September 2003, 18:00 PM

AFP, New York

France does not intend to veto US proposals for a new UN resolution on Iraq, but will only vote in favor if it includes a prompt transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis, French President Jacques Chirac told the New York Times in an interview yesterday. "We don't have the intention to oppose. If we oppose it, that would mean voting no, that is to say, to use the veto. I am not in that mindset at all," Chirac said ahead of the start of the UN General Assembly in New York Tuesday. But he said France would only support the resolution if it included a deadline and timetable for transferring sovereignty in Iraq as well as a "key role" for the United Nations in the oil-rich country. If these provisions were not included, France would abstain, Chirac said. A transfer of sovereignty should occur "right now", followed by a "transfer of responsibility" within six to nine months, he insisted. "We can either abstain or vote yes. To vote yes, we need a clear long-range political vision and a key role for the UN." "A clear long-range political vision is one that sets out first, a precise deadline for a transfer of sovereignty, and second, a timetable for transferring responsibility," he said. "What I propose resembles to some degree what we're doing in Afghanistan," where international involvement continued after a relatively rapid transfer of power to Afghanis, Chirac said. "We believe that there will be no concrete solution unless sovereignty is transferred to Iraq as quickly as possible." The United States is seeking approval for a UN Security Council resolution that would authorize the deployment of a multinational force in Iraq, thus lightening Washington's financial and military burden in the unstable country. The resolution proposed by Washington also affords international acceptance of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and asks the Iraqis to suggest a clear timetable for the creation of democratic institutions. Chirac ruled out for the moment sending French combat troops to Iraq but said France could be willing to train Iraqi soldiers and police. In an interview with Fox News television Monday US President George W. Bush referred to a seven-step US plan for restoring Iraqi sovereignty that reserves handover of power until last. "The key on any (UN) resolution ... is not to get in the way of an orderly transfer of sovereignty based upon a logical series of steps," he said. "And that's constitution, elections and then the transfer of authority." Asked if he was willing to grant a larger role to the United Nations in Iraq's political development, Bush replied: "I'm not so sure we have to."