British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday gave his clearest hint yet that there will be no rush by the US and Britain to hand over the civil administration of postwar Iraq either to a UN-led regime or one run by opponents of President Saddam Hussein.
"The point is that we are in there in a military situation. This is why this argument about the UN is premature. We are not at the point of discussing the details of this," he told reporters on his flight to Washington for his seventh round of talks with US President George W. Bush at Camp David.
Shortly before he left London, the Blair went to great lengths to reassure members of the British parliament (MPs) from all parties about the conduct of the war and the aftermath.
At prime minister's questions in the House of Commons, he said Bush understood the need for close involvement of the international community in the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and the long-term reform of its government.
Despite widespread cynicism that the publication of the Middle East "road map" is a tactical gesture, the president was totally behind a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis, Blair said. No date has yet been fixed.
But Blair allowed himself room to negotiate with a US administration that understands his concern to involve the UN but has a far less benign view of its record.
In exchanges with Charles Kennedy, the UK Liberal Democrat leader, Blair spoke of the need to ensure that any postwar administration "has to be specifically accepted, endorsed by the United Nations" -- a clear hint that it will not be subject to UN Security Council vetoes by anti-war states such as France and Russia.
"We will obviously have to discuss the details of how we make any handover to civil administration in Iraq because it's important to protect our own troops and make sure, frankly, that they did not give their lives in vain," he told Kennedy.
Aides later suggested that is a crucial element of the British premier's thinking -- that the coalition dare not abandon control of Iraq to any parties that might not provide "proper security" for its troops on the ground -- or abuse the human rights of rival factions and minorities in the deeply divided country.
"The most important thing for the people of Iraq is that they recognize that any post-conflict government is going to be representative, is going to be careful of their human rights, is going to take in all the diverse elements in Iraq," Blair said.
Blair's aides believe the Camp David summit is vital to locking the US into multilateral cooperation rather than a retreat into superpower unilateralism.
Bush understands the need to avoid the US being hated around the world, just as France, Russia and China now admit they do not want a break with the US.
"I will see President Bush at Camp David to discuss not just the military campaign but also the diplomatic implications of recent events for the future _ in particular, how we get America and Europe working again together as partners and not as rivals,'' Blair said before leaving for the US.
He repeatedly stressed that the restoration of UN-sanctioned humanitarian aid, through the now-suspended oil-for-food program, is their priority, and may be resumed within a few days.
Authorization for postwar reconstruction, which UK International Development Secretary Clare Short told MPs needs a UN mandate to be legal, comes later. Bush had conceded the mandate point when he met Blair in the Azores 10 days ago, Short said.
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