Germany Favours Granting Iraqis Sovereignty ASAP

German government favors granting Iraqis sovereignty as soon as possible

The German government would like to see the restoration of full Iraqi sovereignty as soon as possible. Speaking in Berlin on September 5, government spokesman Béla Anda said the objective of a new UN resolution on Iraq should be to define more clearly the process of transition to Iraqi self-government.

Anda praised the US initiative to get a new UN resolution on Iraq as a "step in the right direction". He noted that the current text is seen as a rough draft which will need further work, adding that Germany will be actively involved in this process. The objective is to give the United Nations a clear and comprehensive role in shaping the future of Iraq.

Yesterday Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French President Jacques Chirac referred to the US draft resolution as "not dynamic enough and not sufficient". In its present form the resolution text does not take into account everything the Chancellor, the French President, and other European heads of state and government have made in the way of proposals, Anda said.

He went on to say that the German government was pleased to hear that Secretary of State Colin Powell has apparently let it be known that the European proposals are now welcome. "The further process of dialogue will show whether or not it will be possible to work these proposals into the resolution," Anda said. He reaffirmed that the German government has no plans to send military forces to Iraq.

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