Brussels, Nov 17: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called today for a rapid transfer of power to the Iraqi people, but said security remained paramount. ''There is no magic way of dealing with the appalling terrorism in Iraq,'' he told reporters on arrival at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.
''What we have to ensure is that there is as speedy as possible a transfer of power to the Iraqi people, but one that is done in a way that ensures the future prosperity and security of the Iraqis, and not the reverse''.
Iraq's US-appointed governing council announced on Saturday that a new transitional government is to take over running the country in June.
Straw said foreign ministers of the 15 current and 10 future EU member states would discuss the plan today.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to discuss Iraq with the EU ministers in Brussels tomorrow. France and Germany, which opposed the US-led war to oust Saddam Hussein, have led calls for a more rapid transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis.
''It has to be for the representatives of the Iraqis and the governing council at the moment to make the decisions on timing, as the united nations require,'' Straw said.
Bureau Report