Iraq and the US tried to clear the way for passage of a new UN resolution by devising a plan for military partnership when the US-led occupation ends officially on June 30.
US Ambassador John Negroponte, who hopes for a vote in the 15-nation Security Council today, said a revised draft, the fourth in two weeks, was to be introduced yesterday.
The one hitch that might prevent quick adoption of the US-British measure on Iraq's future is a proposed amendment from France stating explicitly that Iraqi consent would be needed for any major military offensives by US-led forces.
But diplomats said it was doubtful Washington would agree to the language France had suggested.
Yesterday, Russia also said it still had reservations, but was pleased at changes in the amended resolution.
"Intensive diplomatic consultations ... have led to further positive changes in the Anglo-American draft resolution," Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov told Interfax news agency.
"Nevertheless, there are still some issues to be agreed further."
The control of the 160,000 US-led troops has been the most contentious issue in the resolution, which gives international endorsement to the interim government and authorizes a multinational force under American command.
At a special session on Sunday, the Security Council received separate letters from US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Iraq's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi.
"We're confident that they do the trick," said Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of Britain. He said his government understood that "the policy on sensitive offensive operations will require the assent" of a new Iraqi ministerial committee.
But the letters do not spell that out, prompting France, backed in part by China, Germany, Algeria and Chile, to request that the resolution make clear Iraq can block a major campaign, such as the American assault on Fallujah, which Iraqis opposed.
There was also no hint the changes would accommodate the Kurds, who are threatening to quit the government unless the UN resolution endorses the autonomy granted to them under a law passed in March to serve as Iraq's interim constitution.
"We are not bluffing here, we are serious -- it's the right of our people," Nechirvan Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, said on Sunday.
Allawi announced yesterday that the Kurds and other Iraqi factions had agreed to disband their militias, in a deal that effectively outlaws fighters loyal to a rebel Shiite cleric.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do
RSS