[Media-watch] Sovereignity for Iraqi interim govt "will be limited" - The Straits Times - 23/04/2004

[Julie-ann Davies]

Sovereignty for Iraqi interim govt 'will be limited'
Senior US officials say it will be bound by the transitional law approved by
the Governing Council and the UN resolution

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,247256,00.html


WASHINGTON - The new Iraqi interim government scheduled to take control on
July 1 will have only 'limited sovereignty' over the country and no
authority over United States and coalition military forces already there.

Senior State and Defence officials told this to Congress in testimony this
week before the Senate and the House Armed Services Committees.

Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of State Marc
Grossman said the US will operate under the transitional law approved by the
Iraqi Governing Council and a resolution approved by the United Nations
Security Council last October.

Both those provisions give control of the country's security to US military
commanders.

Whereas in the past the turnover was described as granting total sovereignty
to the appointed Iraqi government, Mr Grossman yesterday termed it 'limited
sovereignty' because 'it is limited by the transitional law...and the UN
resolution'.

'Under the current plan, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special adviser,
Mr Lakhdar Brahimi, will appoint a temporary government that will run Iraqi
government agencies for six months and prepare the way for January 2005
elections of an assembly that will select a second, temporary government and
write a Constitution,' he said.

Mr Wolfowitz described the July 1 government as 'purely temporary' and there
to 'run ministries...but most importantly, they'll be setting up elections'.

In addition, he said, the government will run the police force 'but in
coordination with Centcom (the US Central Command), because this is not a
normal police situation'.

'Sovereignty is not something we can, or want, to take back,' Mr Wolfowitz
said yesterday, outlining efforts to develop a large, new armed force there.

'The security of Iraq...will be part of a multi-national force under US
command, including Iraqi forces.'

Mr Wolfowitz's comments came as he conceded that war costs in Iraq were
rising and senior House Republicans pledged to give the military more money
this year, whether or not the Bush administration asked for it.

Under questioning before the House committee, he said that as of January,
the US was spending US$4.7 billion (S$8 billion) a month and noted that
'there may be a bump up' because of the 20,000 more troops currently there.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, told the
panel that intense combat, higher-than-expected troop levels and depleted
military hardware 'are going to cost us more money'.

About USS$700 million in added troop costs have been identified and Gen
Myers said the service chiefs had identified a US$4 billion shortfall.

'We thought we could get through all of August,' he said.

'We'd have to figure out how to do September... We are working those
estimates right now.

'And we've got to take a look and see if we have the wherewithal inside the
(Defence Department) budget,' he added.

Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter replied:

'The committee, I think, General, is inclined to help you perhaps more than
has been suggested by the Pentagon.' -- Washington Post