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Journalism of Courage
The White House on Monday bluntly rejected a French proposal to immediately transfer sovereignty to the Iraqi people, with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice saying the approach ‘‘just isn’t workable.’’
Rice’s swift rebuff of French President Jacques Chirac’s idea injected uncertainty into delicate negotiations at the UN to broaden international participation in the reconstruction of postwar Iraq. Bush is scheduled to meet Chirac on Tuesday as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly.
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In his scheduled address to the world body, President Bush plans to issue a personal plea to more countries — including key war opponents Germany and France — to join the effort to rebuild Iraq. With US lawmakers and the public increasingly concerned over the mounting costs of the American presence in Iraq, the administration is under pressure to bring other nations on board.
A number of nations have said they are unwilling to commit troops without a new UN resolution authorising a multinational force in Iraq. But Rice indicated on Monday that Bush is unlikely to offer any concessions to persuade nations to join the US-led coalition in Iraq. The speech ‘‘does, however, call to action the entire international community to recognise the tremendous opportunity we now have with a liberated Iraq,’’ she said. And she predicted that ‘‘the president will find that (he’ll get) many more partners than the many partners that we have.’’
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Bush said he was prepared to allow the UN to oversee elections in Iraq and help Iraqis write a constitution. But asked if he was prepared to grant the world body a larger role, Bush declared: ‘‘I’m not so sure we have to, for starters.’’ Chirac advanced his proposal on Iraqi sovereignty in a weekend interview.
He outlined a two-step plan for Iraqi self-rule, starting with a symbolic transfer of power from the US to the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council, to be followed by a phased-in transfer of real power over six to nine months.
If such an approach were adopted, Chirac said, France is prepared to train Iraqi police officers and soldiers. France will not send troops to aid the coalition, he said, but added that financial aid would be possible. In a briefing on Monday, Rice called Chirac’s plan ‘‘premature.’’ ‘‘The French plan, which would try to transfer sovereignty to an unelected group of people, just isn’t workable,’’ she said. ‘‘We have a job to finish in Iraq.’’
Secretary of State Colin Powell was dismissive of proposals for a quick transfer of power to the Iraqis.
Asked whether he thought it was a good idea, Powell offered a one-word response: ‘‘No.’’ Later, Powell sounded conciliatory, saying the US and its allies ‘‘have the same goal, and that is to get Iraq into the hands of the Iraqi people as soon as practical and possible.’’ But he described Chirac’s proposal as ‘‘unrealistic,’’ because, he said, there is no one to turn over sovereignty to in the near future. — LAT-WP
