Schroeder welcomes pledge on UN role

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cautiously welcomed the Anglo-American pledge that the UN should have a “vital role” in rebuilding Iraq, a demand Berlin has raised repeatedly in recent days.

“We have always said that, because the United Nations has, for example, great experience with organising humanitarian aid – and for reasons of legitimacy - the United Nations should play a central role in the post-war period,” Schroeder, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said in Berlin

“If that is the common position, or can become the common position, I would be very happy,” Schroeder added.

Earlier, a joint statement issued after President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met in Belfast stated that “there will be a vital role for the UN in the reconstruction of Iraq.”

Schroeder’s defence minister, Peter Struck, said yesterday that Germany would take no “primary responsibility” in the reconstruction effort unless it is carried out under UN auspices.