Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said US-led forces are keeping his country from falling into chaos and must stay, but he joined key UN Security Council nations in insisting that a UN resolution ensure greater Iraqi control over its own security.
Zebari appeared before the Security Council on Thursday, two days after he was named part of the 33-member interim government that will assume sovereignty from the US-led coalition on June 30.
"I stress that any premature departure of international troops would lead to chaos and the real possibility of a civil war in Iraq," Zebari said. "This would cause a humanitarian crisis and provide a foothold for terrorists."
But Zebari tempered his support for the more than 150,000 foreign troops in Iraq by calling for the US-British draft resolution on the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty to be more specific about the powers of the interim government and its relationship with the multinational force.
He said the resolution must underline "the transfer of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq" and authorize the interim government "to control, administer and manage Iraq's resources and assets."
Zebari also indicated support for former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi, calling him "a friend" of the new interim government. Chalabi has been shunned by his US backers and now faces accusations of passing secret information to Iran.
"We are sorry to hear all these difficulties, all these rumors, all this investigation going on. Chalabi still in my view will have a role to play," Zebari said. "He has fought very hard to have the regime of Saddam Hussein toppled and we are following this news and development with great distress."
Zebari welcomed the endorsement of the interim government by Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, saying it was a "positive and important signal."
The revised draft -- the second try at reaching consensus -- says the mandate for the multinational force will end with the installation of a government elected under a constitution to be drafted later this year. That installation isn't expected until December next year or January 2006.
Zebari said he opposed "a fixed deadline or timetable" for the multinational force -- something Algeria, Pakistan and China have called for.
The 51-year-old Zebari was peppered by questions from Security Council members eager to get Iraqi input on the resolution as they debate the wording.
He said the resolution must ensure that Iraq's self-rule isn't compromised while enabling the US-led force to defend itself.
The new interim government doesn't want "a fixed deadline or timetable" for the departure of the multinational force, he said, because it would be used by Iraq's "enemies" to foment unrest.
Zebari said, however, that the transitional government that will be elected next January "must have a say in the future presence of these forces and we urge that this be reflected in the new resolution."
The revised draft states that the mandate will be terminated if requested by the elected transitional government.
Security Council ambassadors welcomed the comments but pressed for changes and said they wanted to hear from other leaders.
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