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US opens door to possibly delaying Iraq hand over
Washington, Feb 05: Senior US officials opened the door to delaying the planned June 30 hand over of sovereignty to Iraqis by saying they could not rule out considering this possibility.
Washington, Feb 05: Senior US officials opened the door to delaying the planned June 30 hand over of sovereignty to Iraqis by saying they could not rule out considering this possibility.
Any delay would carry risks for the Bush administration, increasing the chances Iraq will loom larger in the November US Presidential election and opening up Washington to accusations in Iraq that it is reneging on promises to let go of power.
Asked at a Congressional hearing whether it was the Bush administration's position that the June 30 deadline could not be extended, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday said the decision was up to President George W Bush. ''I would never say never on the deadline myself. Clearly the goal is to pass sovereignty as soon as possible. But what judgments the President might or might not make depend on the way the world evolves, I would think,'' Rumsfeld later added.
Another senior US official said Washington would consider a delay if a UN team proposed this. This official, who asked not to be named, stressed that the United States wants to give sovereignty to an Iraqi authority by July as scheduled under a November 15 plan agreed by the US coalition provisional authority that has run Iraq since the US invasion and the US chosen Iraqi governing coalition.
Analysts believe it may be impossible to stick to the date because of demands by influential Iraqi Shiite cleric grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani for direct elections before a hand over, something US officials believe cannot be organized by July. A delay might allow sufficient time to organize elections, hence placating Sistani, while ensuring a more representative government that may be better placed to rule the country.
A UN team is expected to go to Iraq within a week to try to resolve the disagreement between the united states and the Iraqis, possibly offering both sides cover for a compromise. ''We are committed to the plan and to the date. We're not asking anybody to come up with proposals to get us beyond June. 30. We are asking people look at what we can do to get to the June 30 date,'' said the official, who asked not to be named.
''But until we have seen the refinements. We want to leave a little space for the UN to come back with whatever they think best,'' the official said. ''so we'll see what they come up with and will consider seriously whatever they think best.'' asked if Washington would consider the UN ideas even if they involved a delay, he said, ''the intention is not to come up with something post-June 30 but I have to leave a little bit of room for the UN to come up with (what they think best). A White House spokesman gave no hint of flexibility on the date, saying: ''we remain committed to that deadline.'' Edward Walker, a former US Assistant Secretary of state for near eastern affairs, said postponement was likely largely because of the difficulty of holding elections by July 01.
''It is really impossible to arrange elections in this time frame,'' walker said, adding that he did not think the United States had done enough to restore security and basic services to Iraq to hand over power this summer.
''The last thing you want to do is turn it over to a non-representative government,'' he added. ''We are running out of time. As far as the administration goes, they obviously want to (hand over) but they don't want to see a total collapse”.
''A successful September turnover with no violence is going to look a lot better than a messy disaster which has four or five months to develop,'' he added, suggesting a delay may not hurt Bush's reelection campaign.
Bureau Report
Asked at a Congressional hearing whether it was the Bush administration's position that the June 30 deadline could not be extended, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday said the decision was up to President George W Bush. ''I would never say never on the deadline myself. Clearly the goal is to pass sovereignty as soon as possible. But what judgments the President might or might not make depend on the way the world evolves, I would think,'' Rumsfeld later added.
Another senior US official said Washington would consider a delay if a UN team proposed this. This official, who asked not to be named, stressed that the United States wants to give sovereignty to an Iraqi authority by July as scheduled under a November 15 plan agreed by the US coalition provisional authority that has run Iraq since the US invasion and the US chosen Iraqi governing coalition.
Analysts believe it may be impossible to stick to the date because of demands by influential Iraqi Shiite cleric grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani for direct elections before a hand over, something US officials believe cannot be organized by July. A delay might allow sufficient time to organize elections, hence placating Sistani, while ensuring a more representative government that may be better placed to rule the country.
A UN team is expected to go to Iraq within a week to try to resolve the disagreement between the united states and the Iraqis, possibly offering both sides cover for a compromise. ''We are committed to the plan and to the date. We're not asking anybody to come up with proposals to get us beyond June. 30. We are asking people look at what we can do to get to the June 30 date,'' said the official, who asked not to be named.
''But until we have seen the refinements. We want to leave a little space for the UN to come back with whatever they think best,'' the official said. ''so we'll see what they come up with and will consider seriously whatever they think best.'' asked if Washington would consider the UN ideas even if they involved a delay, he said, ''the intention is not to come up with something post-June 30 but I have to leave a little bit of room for the UN to come up with (what they think best). A White House spokesman gave no hint of flexibility on the date, saying: ''we remain committed to that deadline.'' Edward Walker, a former US Assistant Secretary of state for near eastern affairs, said postponement was likely largely because of the difficulty of holding elections by July 01.
''It is really impossible to arrange elections in this time frame,'' walker said, adding that he did not think the United States had done enough to restore security and basic services to Iraq to hand over power this summer.
''The last thing you want to do is turn it over to a non-representative government,'' he added. ''We are running out of time. As far as the administration goes, they obviously want to (hand over) but they don't want to see a total collapse”.
''A successful September turnover with no violence is going to look a lot better than a messy disaster which has four or five months to develop,'' he added, suggesting a delay may not hurt Bush's reelection campaign.
Bureau Report