How does Moscow see this situation? Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted that "in the past few days, the dialogue within the UN Security Council has developed very productively." The United States and Britain have indicated that they can not only act unilaterally but also heed the opinion of other countries. The initial draft resolution forwarded by Washington and London underwent numerous changes. Perhaps, the sad experience of the Cyprus resolution was taken into account. Voting then took place on a draft resolution that had not been co-ordinated and Russia used its veto for the first time in many years.
In this case, the UN Security Council members tried hard to find a compromise, because all of them are genuinely interested in Iraq's stabilisation. Clearly, the US and Britain's willingness to make concessions was down to their inability to control the situation in Iraq and their interest in military, legal and financial aid from the international community.
The UN Security Council resolution hails the end of the occupation and the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis, and simultaneously shifts the responsibility for developments in Iraq from the US and Great Britain as occupying powers. This is the main point of the document.
Certainly, Washington is seeking to retain its influence on the situation in Iraq. The UN Security Council members who amended the US-British draft resolution have done their best to let the Iraqis run their country independently. The result is a compromise.
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov, UN Security Council Resolution 1546 "reflects all of Russia's initiatives." Prior to its adoption, Moscow insisted that the Iraqi government should have full control over both the country's armed forces and its natural resources. According to Fedotov, the new resolution provides the Iraqi government with "real authority to govern the country."
Moreover, Russia fully supported France with regard to the mandate of multi-national forces. In the first place, the mandate's temporary restrictions were discussed. A compromise in this area was found quite quickly and the mandate will expire in January 2006. Moreover, according to the new resolution, if the Iraqi government so desires, multi-national forces can be introduced ahead of schedule.
The UN Security Council members had to devote far more time to the mechanism for co-operation between the Iraqi military and multi-national forces. France wanted the Iraqis to have the right to veto operations carried out by foreign servicemen in Iraq. Moscow shared this position. However, Washington and London opposed it and only agreed to consult the Iraqis when conducting "sensitive operations", to co-ordinate their activities with them and also be accountable to the UN Security Council. Although France and Russia wanted more, they were satisfied with these formulations.
Moreover, the Iraqis did not insist on their right of veto. A few days before final voting on the UN Security Council, Iraq's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi, told the Iraqi Al-Nahda newspaper, "The Iraqi government prefers close interaction with the coalition forces instead of the simple right to veto their actions." And this sounds sensible from the military point of view, so there was no point in arguing this further at the UN.
The new resolution also takes into account Russia's proposal to review the UNMOVIC and IAEA mandates in Iraq to give a clear answer as to who will be responsible for searching WMD in this country, and who will conduct early disarmament monitoring there. It is worth noting that international inspectors' efforts were interrupted by the Iraq occupation. Therefore, the country still has banned weapons and materials that can be used for developing WMD.
Shortly before the UN Security Council vote, a report from international weapons inspectors was circulated in New York. According to the document, there was virtually no control over facilities with dangerous materials and equipment, and many of them were looted. Propulsion units for surface-to-air missiles stored in Iraq before the war were recently found in Rotterdam. It is still unclear where the rest of them are. This is why Moscow believes that UNMOVIC efforts in Iraq should be resumed as soon as possible.
Russia also attaches importance to including a regulation on convening an international conference into the resolution. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview that an international conference would make it possible to provide "external support for the restoration of Iraq's sovereignty," de facto, but not de jure.
Another significant nuance for Moscow is that the new resolution points out that money from the Development Fund for Iraq will be distributed transparently and fairly. It inspires hope that all the nations who want to help in Iraq's restoration will have equal opportunities. It is still unclear, though, is this will be the case. Nor is it known whether the other provisions of the resolution will be accurately fulfilled.
Now that numerous amendments have been introduced, diplomats believe that they have done their best to promote the transitional process in Iraq. However, as Yuri Fedotov stresses, "the main thing now is how the resolution is going to be applied in practice."
