BELGIUM: U.S Secretary of state Colin Powell arrives for meeting with European and NATO ministers on Iraq

Record ID: 402525

  • Title: BELGIUM: U.S Secretary of state Colin Powell arrives for meeting with European and NATO ministers on Iraq
  • Date: 3rd April 2003
  • Summary: (W5) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (APRIL, 3 2003) (REUTERS) WIDE/ PAN , FLAGS AT NATO HEADQUARTERS ENTRANCE SLV, SECURITY AGENT ON ROOFTOP PAN FROM MAIN ENTRANCE OF NATO/TV REPORTER ROBIN OAKLEY , IN LIVE POSITIONS WIDE OF TV CREWS AT LIVE POSITIONS SLV ARRIVAL OF US SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL AT NATO SLV, ARRIVAL OF FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN SCU (SOUNDBITE
  • Embargoed: 18th April 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAWHHNG5F7CAOMBOF24TZ84P8R
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has kicked off a hectic round of meetings with European and Nato ministers aimed at healing the transatlantic rift over Iraq and mapping out a post-war scenario.
    European Union and NATO foreign ministers lined up in Brussels on Thursday (April 4) to tell U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that Washington must make room for the United Nations to help run post-war Iraq.
    At their first big meeting with U.S. officials since U.S.
    and British forces invaded Iraq last month, European and NATO foreign ministers were pushing that message in more than 20 separate meetings with Powell at the alliance headquarters.
    France and Germany have vehemently opposed the war in Iraq and insisted Iraq be brought under U.N. administration.
    Several ministers urged a leading role for the United Nations if and when President Saddam Hussein is overthrown.
    The United States expects to run the oil-rich country after the war, arguing it has risked its soldiers' lives and spent billions of dollars to prepare it for representative government, but has invited its allies to help pay for emergency aid.
    Powell was due to see foreign ministers of the main European opponents of the war -- Dominique de Villepin of France, Igor Ivanov of Russia and Joschka Fischer of Germany.
    keep In his strongest comments on the subject, the U.S.
    Secretary of State said last month the United States would not cede control of Iraq to the United Nations, as many Europeans have demanded.
    Greek Foreign minister advocated a strong role for the UN: "We are of course worried about the humanitarian situation. We want to see the Middle East peace process move forward and of course, we will be discussing how we are reshaping and restoring our Transatlantic relationship."
    Diplomats said Powell would tell his colleagues the United States that NATO should help guarantee security in post-war Iraq while the United Nations could have some "political oversight".
    Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh also advocated a leading role for the U.N., adding: "I think that those who have been part of the Alliance, have a major economical responsibility. I think that all the countries have to take part in the reconstruction with a major responsibility of the countries that took part in the Alliance."
    British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw stressed Britain wanted Iraqis to assume power as soon as possible, with the United Nations' blessing.
    "We are advocating to everybody that the country should be handed over to the Iraqi people as quickly as possible," Straw told reporters. "It's not about the U.N. running post-war Iraq, it's about the Iraqi people running post-war Iraq."
    But he indicated Britain also wanted a key role for the United Nations by saying it sought a transition similar to that in Afghanistan.
    The United Nations convened a conference to appoint a new Afghan government and handed authority over to it in less than six weeks after U.S.-led forces chased the fundamentalist Taliban from power in Kabul in late 2001.
    The current U.S. plan is that a U.S. administrator, retired Lieutenant-General Jay Garner, would run Iraq in conjunction with U.S. and British forces until the United States can set up an "interim Iraqi authority" with limited powers.
    The powers of the interim authority would gradually increase until an independent Iraqi government takes over, but U.S. officials have rarely indicated how long that would take.
    A source at the U.S. State Department has said the military occupation could last two years.
    pr/nb
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