United States, United Kingdom Revise Iraq Draft Resolution

Originally published June 3, 2004

The United States and the United Kingdom have presented amendments to their draft U.N. Security Council resolution on the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty in an effort to refine the role of the multinational force (MNF), including setting a time limit to its mandate.

The text was presented June 1, hours after the interim Iraqi government and cabinet members were announced in Baghdad, Iraq, and the Iraqi Governing Council disbanded rather than wait until the June 30 transfer of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).

The amendments, said U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham, "focus the resolution text more clearly on the objective that is before the council -- which is to mark the end of the occupation and the restoration of full sovereignty to Iraq."

Talking with journalists after the private council meeting, Cunningham said that "a number of the amendments we proposed goes to clarifying the role of the U.N., the duration of the multinational force, how some of the economic and other aspects of the framework will come into being."

The U.S. ambassador said the amendments take into account many of the comments made over the past week by members of the Security Council, Iraqis, and other U.N. member nations. He said that the council now wants to hear from U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has been in Iraq for several weeks helping the Iraqis form the interim government, and representatives of the new government.

Diplomats said that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari is on his way to New York to meet with council members. No time has been set for the meeting, but it is expected to take place within the next few days so that the council can vote on the draft resolution as quickly as possible.

The amendments state that the MNF mandate shall be reviewed in 12 months, or at the request of the transitional government. The mandate will expire at the completion of the political process, or earlier if requested by the elected transitional government.

Cunningham defined the end of the political process as "the coming into being of a constitutionally elected government."

"That is when we foresee this phase of Iraq's political transformation ending and the point at which we would peg the end of the MNF mandate," he said.

The political process sets the holding of elections for a transitional national assembly no later than January 31, 2005. That assembly will form a transitional government and draft a new constitution leading to a constitutionally elected government. That phase of the process is expected to take until early 2006.

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