France and Germany to support UN resolution
The measure appeared to have overwhelming support after a last-minute US compromise won the backing of the war’s sharpest critics, France and Germany.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, meeting in Washington with Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer, said the Security Council, which met at 10pm last night, was “close to unanimity” on the resolution.
“I am expecting a very satisfactory vote,” Mr Powell said ahead of tonight’s expected vote.
A last-minute addition to the resolution by Washington and London, summarising Iraq’s “security partnership” with US-led forces, was the key compromise that paved the way for the vote.
Under the compromise, Iraqi leaders would have control of the country’s security forces, and Washington and Iraq’s new interim government promised to work out a policy on how to cooperate on “sensitive offensive operations”.
But the deal stops short of granting the Iraqis a veto over major offensives by US-led troops.
France, Germany and others had sought such a veto power for the Iraqis. Their pressure to give the Iraqi government, due to take power on June 30, more authority prompted Washington and London to repeatedly alter their draft resolution.
France and Germany said today they would vote for the latest version. Chile and other Security Council members were still hoping for more changes, and China, while it welcomed the compromise, did not say how it would vote.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he expected the measure would win unanimous backing.
“It should receive a very fair wind and good vote this afternoon in the Security Council,” he said.
After weeks of negotiations, the US and Britain are hoping to send a united message to the Iraqi people that the international community supports the transfer of full sovereignty to the new interim Iraqi government and wants the new leaders to work in partnership with the US-led multinational force to help ensure security.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said: “We find many of our ideas in this text.”
He said France would have liked a clearer definition of the relationship between the new Iraqi government and multinational force.
“That doesn’t stop us from a positive vote in New York to help in a constructive way find a positive exit to this tragedy,” he said.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also promised his country’s vote.
“I hope that now there will finally be a stabilisation of the security situation in Iraq,” he said.
Spain, which said the earlier drafts did not go far enough, will support the latest version, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in Madrid.
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