#10 - RW 275
Russian FM says UN resolution on Iraq must specify timetable for handover
September 25, 2003
AFP

Russia spelled out for the first time its stance on a new resolution on Iraq currently being discussed at the United Nations, saying there had to be a clear timeframe for the transfer of power to an Iraqi government and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

"We must develop a clear plan for handing Iraq back its sovereignty and transferring the power back to its government. There must be a clear timeframe for doing so," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told Russian journalists in Moscow via a video feed from New York.

"We realize that Iraq does not have adequate security structures and the presence of international forces is necessary at this time. But this force must have a UN mandate," Ivanov said. "And we must develop a timeframe for how long it can remain there."

"It must also operate under the auspices of the United Nations," he said.

"But this does not mean that we are pressing for the international forces to leave Iraq now," he said.

Ivanov's comments marked the first time that Russia, which opposed the US-led war on Baghdad and is a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, had laid out its position on the resolution, which was proposed by Washington.

The United States is pushing for a Security Council resolution that would authorise the deployment of international troops in Iraq to ease its financial and military burden. But it says a quick handover of power in Iraq is unrealistic.

Ivanov's comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the UN General Assembly, without mentioning a timeframe for a handover of power.

Putin steered clear of the attacks unleashed on Washington at the General Assembly this week and -- unlike France and Germany, who also opposed the war -- did not call for a faster handover of power to Iraqis.

Paris and Berlin are urging the United States to set a rapid timetable for ending the occupation of Iraq and handing power over to Iraqis.

Ivanov said negotiations on a UN resolution had yet to begin in earnest.

"All sides are in the process of laying out their positions. We are not yet at the stage of negotiating any particular resolution," he said.

Putin and US President George W. Bush are to hold a summit later this week at Camp David.

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