The US, supported by Britain, plans a new UN resolution endorsing decisions by Iraqi leaders and the Bush administration to establish a provisional government in Baghdad in June, Security Council diplomats said,
The Iraqi Governing Council is due to present a timetable to the UN for a transition to sovereignty by Dec. 15, although envoys said on Tuesday this may be submitted well before that date. The US then wants the 15-member UN council to endorse the schedule in a resolution, hopefully before the end of the year.
One motive for another resolution, despite all the negotiating entailed, is to make sure the UN returns its political staff to Iraq, the diplomats said.
This in turn might encourage more countries to join in the reconstruction and security arrangements after a US-led civilian administration winds down and an interim Iraqi government takes power next June, they added.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday left open the possibility of a new Security Council resolution. "Whether any further UN action might be required as we execute this plan in the form of another UN resolution or not, that all remains to be seen," he said.
But he emphasized that it was "time now with this new plan for the UN to determine whether or not circumstances will permit it to play a more active role inside the country."
Responding to the pressure, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he would soon name a special representative to replace Sergio Vieira de Mello, killed when the UN headquarters in Baghdad was bombed on Aug. 19.
Some 22 people lost their lives, prompting Annan to pull all foreign staff out of Baghdad.
But Annan was careful not to predict a date for the return of UN political staff, saying they might operate across borders or outside of Iraq.
UN officials said a new representative might not play an important role initially but could have major responsibilities after June in helping to write a new Iraqi constitution and give election advice.
Annan, as well as France and Germany, had tried to convince the US to include a timetable for restoring Iraqi sovereignty in a resolution adopted by the 15-nation UN Security Council on Oct. 16. That measure set up a multinational force but drew few additional troops.
The US argued then that Iraqis needed first to draft a constitution and hold elections. But facing a mounting death toll, the Bush administration last week decided a transfer of power could be accomplished in June, although US and other foreign troops would stay in the country longer.
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