Iraq ‘under control’ by June

US SECRETARY of State Colin Powell said yesterday the security situation in Iraq will be brought “under control” by June, the deadline for forming an interim Iraqi government.

He also said that as US-led coalition forces make Iraq safer, he hoped UN Secretary General Kofi Annan would send a new special envoy to Baghdad to replace Sergio Vieira de Mello, who died on August 19 in a bomb attack on the UN compound in the Iraqi capital.

Speaking after he discussed Iraq and other issues with his EU counterparts, Mr Powell said all parties were aware of the “security challenges” in Iraq when they developed the new timeline for transferring power.