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sisyphusshrugged...Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in an interview with Dutch television, asked European countries to contribute peacekeeping forces, a prospect he also raised last week at NATO headquarters. U.S. diplomats have contacted more than 65 nations in recent weeks to ask for assistance and 58 have expressed support, a State Department spokesman said.
The administration's effort to enlist other countries to help restore order and rebuild Iraq comes in the wake of significant international opposition to the decision by the United States and Britain to go to war without an explicit authorization from the U.N. Security Council. But U.S. officials said they believe the dramatic collapse of the Iraqi government -- broadcast around the world Wednesday -- will galvanize broader international support for assisting in Iraq's reconstruction.
"We are going to pressure all of our friends and allies to contribute as much as they can," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz told the Armed Services Committee. Offers of military and financial help are already coming, Wolfowitz said, predicting a "larger coalition of the willing" for reconstruction than for the war.
Pressed on specifics by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), however, Wolfowitz cited none. "So far, we're still in the early stages of that," he said. "I think some people were, frankly, a bit taken by surprise by the images they saw on television [on Wednesday]."
Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said he wants to use this weekend's meeting here of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to seek support for long-term financing of Iraq's reconstruction. Snow also said he hopes the Group of Seven industrialized countries -- the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada -- will press the IMF and the World Bank to assess Iraq's needs and begin the process of providing financing.
But World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn said a U.N. Security Council resolution according legitimacy to a new Iraqi government would be required before the financial institution could lend, underscoring the role that the United Nations could play in postwar Iraq, a contentious issue between the United States and many allies.
Such countries as France and Germany have advocated that the United Nations should manage the reconstruction effort, while the Bush administration has insisted that U.S. and British officials will control the process and turn it over as quickly as possible to the Iraqis.
Wolfowitz, welcoming some U.N. involvement, said U.N. agencies would be particularly useful in areas such as refugee assistance and humanitarian relief. He also said the United Nations could play a particularly important role in "helping to mobilize international support" for Iraq, noting that U.N. endorsement is a requirement for World Bank and IMF aid.
But citing such countries as Kosovo and Bosnia, where U.N.-led administrations have been in place for years, Wolfowitz argued for a more rapid move toward self-government in Iraq and said the country is able to support it. "We want to see a situation where power and responsibility is transferred as quickly as possible to the Iraqis themselves," Wolfowitz said. While the United Nations can be a "partner" in that effort, he said, "it can't be the managing partner; it can't be in charge."
The United Nations, meanwhile, continued to press U.S. and British forces to move quickly to restore law and order in Iraq. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that the military has "a responsibility for the welfare of the people. We have seen scenes of looting, and obviously law and order must be a major concern."
The unrest is severely limiting the delivery of essential supplies to hospitals and communities, according to international aid agencies. Until roads and neighborhoods are safer, officials said, the large-scale deliveries promised by the Bush administration cannot begin, nor would nongovernmental groups be willing to enter the country...
The administration's effort to enlist other countries to help restore order and rebuild Iraq comes in the wake of significant international opposition to the decision by the United States and Britain to go to war without an explicit authorization from the U.N. Security Council. But U.S. officials said they believe the dramatic collapse of the Iraqi government -- broadcast around the world Wednesday -- will galvanize broader international support for assisting in Iraq's reconstruction.
"We are going to pressure all of our friends and allies to contribute as much as they can," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz told the Armed Services Committee. Offers of military and financial help are already coming, Wolfowitz said, predicting a "larger coalition of the willing" for reconstruction than for the war.
Pressed on specifics by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), however, Wolfowitz cited none. "So far, we're still in the early stages of that," he said. "I think some people were, frankly, a bit taken by surprise by the images they saw on television [on Wednesday]."
Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said he wants to use this weekend's meeting here of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to seek support for long-term financing of Iraq's reconstruction. Snow also said he hopes the Group of Seven industrialized countries -- the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada -- will press the IMF and the World Bank to assess Iraq's needs and begin the process of providing financing.
But World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn said a U.N. Security Council resolution according legitimacy to a new Iraqi government would be required before the financial institution could lend, underscoring the role that the United Nations could play in postwar Iraq, a contentious issue between the United States and many allies.
Such countries as France and Germany have advocated that the United Nations should manage the reconstruction effort, while the Bush administration has insisted that U.S. and British officials will control the process and turn it over as quickly as possible to the Iraqis.
Wolfowitz, welcoming some U.N. involvement, said U.N. agencies would be particularly useful in areas such as refugee assistance and humanitarian relief. He also said the United Nations could play a particularly important role in "helping to mobilize international support" for Iraq, noting that U.N. endorsement is a requirement for World Bank and IMF aid.
But citing such countries as Kosovo and Bosnia, where U.N.-led administrations have been in place for years, Wolfowitz argued for a more rapid move toward self-government in Iraq and said the country is able to support it. "We want to see a situation where power and responsibility is transferred as quickly as possible to the Iraqis themselves," Wolfowitz said. While the United Nations can be a "partner" in that effort, he said, "it can't be the managing partner; it can't be in charge."
The United Nations, meanwhile, continued to press U.S. and British forces to move quickly to restore law and order in Iraq. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that the military has "a responsibility for the welfare of the people. We have seen scenes of looting, and obviously law and order must be a major concern."
The unrest is severely limiting the delivery of essential supplies to hospitals and communities, according to international aid agencies. Until roads and neighborhoods are safer, officials said, the large-scale deliveries promised by the Bush administration cannot begin, nor would nongovernmental groups be willing to enter the country...
pressure
Date: 2003-04-12 10:24 am (UTC)