The text does not seem available as yet but there are some odd sections and some odd omissions.
The article does not mention the fact that the government will in effect not have any legislative functions. The law in effect will be that passed under the occupation. Obviously any corruption in expenditures from oil revenues will be internationalised. The Iraqis apparently are not to be entrusted with expenditure of their own assets without proper supervision in the interests of foreign investors. The US will be in command of security through a multinational force. There is no mention of the opt-out provisions where Iraqi troops could refuse to take part in missions. Why should UN members agree not to file any lawsuits against Iraq for 12 months? Given that all the officials are to be chosen by Brahmini after first being vetted by the US (and UK?) the govt. is not likely to ask the multi-national force to leave. Furthermore it seems that there are advisors attached to ministries just to keep them in line and also other groups that have been set up by the CPA that will have real powers. I wonder who will be the private mercenaries awarded the special contract to protect UN personnel. Cheers, Ken Hanly By Evelyn Leopold UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A new U.S.-British drafted U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing sovereignty for an Iraqi caretaker government approves the presence of the U.S.-led force there but sets no date for the troops to leave. The resolution, distributed to council members on Monday, would endorse the formation of a "sovereign interim government" that would take office by June 30 and says that government would "assume the responsibility and authority for governing a sovereign Iraq." The draft emerged as President Bush prepared a televised speech later on Monday mapping out his plans for Iraq, where violent attacks on occupying forces have dimmed U.S. hopes for a peaceful transfer to democratic rule. The definition of sovereignty is a contentious issue, with the Bush administration attempting to assure U.N. Security Council members they would not be asked to approve an occupation under another name. British ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told reporters the resolution "underlines clearly that all sovereignty will be returned to the Iraqis, that the interim Iraqi government will assume total responsibility for its own sovereignty." But the text is bound to run into criticism by France, Germany, Russia and others. It does not give a definite timetable for deployment of the U.S.-led force and instead calls for a review after a year, which a new Iraqi government can request earlier. A review, however, would be similar to an open-ended mandate and would not mean the force would leave unless the Security Council, where the United States has veto power, decides it should do so. The resolution, contrary to expectations, does not give an "opt out" clause that would allow Iraqi troops to refuse a command from the American military. Instead it calls for arrangements "to ensure coordination between the two." As part of the transition process, U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, now in Baghdad, is due to name a president, a prime minister, two vice presidents and 26 ministers before the end of May. They would stay in office until elections for a national assembly, expected to be held by January 2005. The resolution also says a separate force would be created within the multinational force for the sole purposes of providing security for U.N. staff and operations within Iraq. On oil, the draft resolution says Iraq would have control over its oil revenues. But it would keep in place an international advisory board, which audits accounts, to assure investors and donors that their money was being spent free of corruption, U.N. envoys said. Under a May 2003 Security Council resolution adopted after the fall of Saddam Hussein, all proceeds of Iraq's oil and gas sales were deposited into a special account called the Development Fund for Iraq, controlled by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. The new measure calls on all U.N. member-states to take steps to ensure that no law suits are filed against Iraq or any of its state-owned enterprises for a period of 12 months. Curtailing an existing U.N. arms embargo, the draft would allow the importation of arms by either the multinational force or the Iraqi government. ((Editing by David Storey; Reuters messaging: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 1-212-355-7424) © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
