 | |  | | Bush hopeful for larger NATO role in Iraq - UPDATE 1
2004-06-09 23:04
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AFX) -- President Bush is hopeful the UN Security
Council's decision to unanimously back the interim government in Iraq will
lead to a larger role for NATO forces seeking to create a stable Iraq. "We
will work with our NATO friends to at least continue the role that now exists
and hopefully expand it somewhat; there is going to be some constraints
obviously," Bush said Wednesday after meeting with British Prime Minister
Tony Blair on the sidelines of the G-8 summit on Sea Island, off the coast of
Georgia. "A lot of NATO countries are not in a position to commit any more
troops, we fully understand that," Bush added. The Security Council
resolution backs the newly selected interim government, led by Prime Minister
Iyad Allawi, and establishes a U.S.-led multinational coalition of forces to
provide security leading to full elections in Iraq, expected to take place by
January. The United States is scheduled to transfer sovereignty to the
interim government in Iraq on June 30. The unanimous backing is a victory for
Bush and Blair, who convinced Iraq war critics France and Germany, which each
have veto power, to support the resolution. The two nations, deemed "Old
Europe" by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld before the war, agreed to back
the measure after the United States made concessions to allow Iraqis control
over their own troops. The two strongest proponents of the war are hoping to
use the UN vote and the summit to reconcile differences with their allies who
opposed the invasion. "The terrorists and the fanatics and the extremists who
are trying to stop this democracy happening know they've got the whole world
against them," Blair said. The British leader stressed the need for Iraq to
take over control of its own security. "The key next step in this is going
to be for the new Iraqi government to sit down with the multi-national force
and work out how, over time, the Iraqi capability for security can be
established and built up," Blair said. Bush said he was looking forward to
meeting newly-named Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer later Wednesday. "I'm also
going to tell him that when we say transfer full sovereignty, we mean
transfer full sovereignty," Bush said, adding "he is the president of a
sovereign nation." |  |  |  |  |
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