By Nicola Smith - 17th November 2003
Washington accepts that US forces should be under international control to ensure a quick transfer of power to Iraqis, says the EU’s foreign policy chief.
In an interview with the UK Independent, Javier Solana suggests that US decisions along these lines will be made in the “coming days”.
His comments are set to herald a shift in Washington’s previous hard line stance on Iraq, come before a UK state visit from US President George W Bush on Tuesday, where he is expected to discuss an Iraq exit strategy with UK premier Tony Blair.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell is also expected on Tuesday to discuss the growing security crisis in Iraq with the 25 foreign ministers of current and future EU member states in Brussels.
The US-appointed Iraqi governing council on Saturday announced an agreement to introduce civilian rule by 2004 and said a transitional government will prepare for elections by the end of 2005.
Previously, US officials had said that Iraqi leaders should first write a constitution before holding elections.
Solana told the Independent that the mood had now changed in Washington. “Everybody has moved, including the United States, because the United States has a real problem and when you have a real problem you need help,” he said.
He added that there was a “growing consensus” that the transfer of power to the Iraqi people had to be accelerated, and “the faster the better”.
The US faced another setback at the weekend when two Black Hawk helicopters collided after one was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade- 17 American soldiers died in the attack.
The growing toll of American casualties and last week’s suicide attack in Nasiyira, where 18 Italians were killed, has stepped up the pressure on Washington to give the occupying forces more international legitimacy.
The EU has long maintained that the rapid return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people could help resolve the security problems, and Solana is reported to have been playing a significant behind the scenes role.
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