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U.S. circulates new draft resolution on IraqSecurity Council discusses country's future
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United States circulated another draft resolution on Iraq late Tuesday as the U.N. Security Council spent more than 90 minutes discussing the future of that country, officials said. The new draft includes further changes that deal with the end of both the provisional authority and the multinational force in Iraq. Earlier in the day, Russia, France and Germany offered amendments to the previous U.S. draft resolution, suggesting points they said would make clear when and how the transfer of authority from the coalition to Iraqis would be made. Sergei Lavrov, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, said that some of the points in the previous draft were ambiguous, particularly the process of transfer of authority, and that the concept needs to be spelled out more clearly. One suggested amendment for the previous text called on the Coalition Provisional Authority to develop a specific schedule for the transfer of governing responsibilities and authorities to the people of Iraq, according to a copy of the proposal obtained by CNN. Another says "the responsibilities of the authority shall expire" after an internationally recognized democratic government is sworn in. The new U.S. draft respects those suggestions. It makes clear that the authority's powers "will cease when an internationally recognized, representative government established by the people of Iraq is sworn in and assumes the responsibilities of the authority." Previous language did not make clear that the powers would cease at that time. The previous draft simply required the authority to return governing powers to the Iraqi people "as soon as practicable," but the new version adds that the authority report to the Iraqi Governing Council on the progress being made. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said earlier the U.S.-drafted resolution does not reflect a "major shift" in the coalition's viewpoint, but it does consider some of the concerns he has voiced. Annan wants power transferred to an interim Iraqi government before a constitution is written and elections are held. The new draft calls for "national dialogue and consensus-building as soon as practicable" in order to hold a constitutional conference. The proposed U.S. resolution calls on the Iraqi Governing Council to propose a timetable by Dec. 15 for the drafting of a new constitution and for holding elections. U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the United States, Britain, and Spain will offer the new resolution with the expectation that it will be voted on this week. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice had said the Bush administration would examine the proposals. "We think it's a very good resolution, but of course we are happy to look at suggestions that others might have," Rice told reporters at the White House. Word of plans to offer amendments came shortly after the Kremlin Press Service reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed Iraq with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac in a three-way telephone conversation. -- CNN Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth contributed to this report.
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