Chirac: Iraq transition within months
( 2003-09-19 16:56) (Agencies)
French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday he would like to see a transfer of power in Iraq within months, as he and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder renewed their push for a quick return to sovereignty. Chirac’s comments suggested France was softening demands that a provisional Iraqi government be in place within a month.
Chirac, speaking to reporters after talks with Schroeder, said France wants a quick transfer of government authority in Iraq. “When I say as quickly as possible, I of course mean months, not years,” he said.
France and Germany are seeking changes in a U.S.-proposed resolution at the United Nations that asks for more money and peacekeeping troops for Iraq.
Debate over the draft has focused more on the future U.N. role in Iraq and restoring the country’s sovereignty. France laid out its terms for supporting the resolution, calling last week for a timetable that would see a provisional government in a month, a draft constitution by year’s end and elections next spring.
FIRM WAY STATIONS’ SOUGHT
“That can’t happen tomorrow, but it would be helpful if there were firm way stations,” he was quoted telling the Handelsblatt business daily.
“However, no one can really say at this time whether elections can be held in Iraq in 2004,” Schroeder added. “The priority now is just to get the process going.”
Also on Thursday’s agenda was a German-French initiative to boost growth and create jobs across the EU that they plan to present later this month to the 13 other members.
Included in the plan are major infrastructure projects such as the plans for the Galileo satellite, Europe’s answer to the American global positioning system, or GPS, and expanding high-speed rail networks across national boundaries.
The Iraq war opened up deep divisions in Europe, souring relations between backers of the U.S.-led invasion like Britain, Spain and Poland and vocal opponents led by France and Germany, who thwarted bids by the United States and Britain for a U.N. mandate for the conflict.
Britain and France are veto-holding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council while Germany holds a rotating seat.
The split between what U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dubbed “Old Europe” and “New Europe” also made a mockery of attempts to forge a common European Union foreign policy. Analysts said the Berlin talks could restart that drive.
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