'Only U.N. Can Legitimize Iraq Future' Says Schroder

24/09/2003| IslamWeb

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder appealed Wednesday for a decisive role for the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq but softened past differences with the United States. Addressing the U.N. General Assembly a day after President Bush urged other nations to help pacify and rebuild Iraq, Schroeder said Germany was prepared to provide humanitarian, technical and economic aid and train the Iraqi security forces. Berlin has ruled out sending its own troops. "Only the United Nations can guarantee the legitimacy that is needed to enable the Iraqi population to rapidly rebuild their country under an independent, representative government," he declared. Bush Tuesday ruled out a swift transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi authority, advocated notably by France, and limited the U.N. role to helping draft a constitution and supervise elections. Schroeder did not refer to the dispute over the pace of a handover of power to the Iraqis and was less direct than French President Jacques Chirac in criticizing the U.S. decision to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein without U.N. blessing. He warned against states going it alone in crises and said the United Nations' monopoly on the use of force must be strengthened, in an apparent reference to U.S. military action against Iraq launched without Security Council endorsement. Schroeder also said the International Criminal Court, which the United States strongly opposes, was an important instrument of global justice against war crimes. **US Troops Kill Two Iraqis North of Baghdad During House Search*** Meanwhile, in Iraq two Iraqis were killed and another injured after U.S. soldiers opened fire while conducting a house-to-house search at a village near Baqubah, located 66 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, witnesses said Wednesday. Mohammad Ismail, a local farmer, aged 25, said the three were shot after running away from the Americans during a search at al-Jizani, some 20 kilometers north-west of Baqubah. He said that Mazen Shoukr and Adel Ismail were killed during the search conducted at around 3:00 am (local time) Wednesday, but did not know the name of the wounded Iraqi. Hussein Ali, a 30-year-old clerical worker at Baqubah Hospital, said U.S. soldiers had handed over the bodies of the two dead to the hospital at about 10:15 am (local time), according to AFP. Also, an explosive device, possibly meant for an American military vehicle, hit two Iraqi commuter buses Wednesday morning, injuring at least 22, four seriously, and killing one, according to reports from Iraqi police sources. The blast ripped through the front, left side of the small commuter bus which was traveling near a Humvee. The Humvee sustained minor damage. No American troops were injured in the attack. According to the CNN, the blast took place near Anter Square in northern Baghdad, in front of Al Hariri Girls' School. **PHOTO CAPTION*** German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder speaks at to the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on September 24, 2003. (Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)