The hardline text went over the same issues known to have been rejected before: the Security Council should endorse (and make officially "legitimate") the US's political arrangements, carte blanche without even checkpoints, AND the Security Council should endorse (a la Bosnia\Kosovo) the non-UN military force (with only a twice a year "report" sent to the Security Council). A lot is left out by the AP story. (For the full text see http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-09/04/content_1063213.htm
This would have been known to be rejected ... yet the US circulates it publicly. Until yesterday everything this week seemed to point to the much expected backpedaling, internationally and within Iraq. [Note that the new "Minister" in charge of creating an Iraqi Militia is from the CIA\"Internal" faction and was one of only 2 people in this Spring's "consultation" meeting to have voted against de-Bathistisation.]
Now we have this proposed draft AND Rumsfeld's lightening Iraq trip - said to focus on creating a militia (one would think he would not want to be so visibly linked to any backpedaling).
Whether they have some very canny strategy or internal conflicts (the Joint Chiefs?), something seems to not add up.
Paul
Dwayne writes and forwards the AP story:
>http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&u=/ap/20030904/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_iraq_12
>France, Germany Criticize Iraq Resolution
>By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer
>
>DRESDEN, Germany - The leaders of Germany and France
>criticized a U.S. draft resolution seeking
>international troops and money for Iraq (news - web
>sites), saying it falls short by not granting
>responsibility to Iraqis or a large enough role to the
>United Nations....