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Iraq Can Decide On Keeping Troops

May-23-2004 » Filed Under: Iraq News

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Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS - The United States says it will give Iraq's new interim government a decisive voice in whether a multinational force remains in the country, and has agreed with other Security Council members to transfer full sovereignty to the Iraqis on June 30.

The extent of the caretaker government's powers has been a subject of intense discussion among members of the U.N. Security Council as they await a new resolution dealing with the end of U.S.-British occupation and the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty. [...]

Powell has said the U.S.-led coalition force will leave if the interim government asks it to, though he doesn't expect this to happen. France and Germany have said they want the new resolution to include a cutoff date for the multinational force.

Cunningham told AP the new resolution will not call for an indefinite extension of the multinational force, known as the MNF, but it won't propose a limit either.

It will make clear that the presence of a multinational force will be "kept under review and that the Iraqis will have a decisive voice," he said. "It will be up to the Iraqis to decide whether they want the MNF there or not, and we expect that they will want the MNF there."


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