How can the hand over of soveriengty to the Iraqi council on June 30th, be considered such when the US will still be able to conduct military operations without the approval of said council? Sovereignty means ultimate authority within ones boarders. The US still will have ultimate authority, if the Iraqi council can't veto military operations.
I think this question is also important because for the first time the UK and US are openningly at odds over policy regarding Iraq. The UK is also trying to separate itself from the US coallition by having the southern sector under control of NATO, and not the coallition. Apparently this is because the UK is at odds with other US policies regarding Iraq.
I'm surprised this hasn't been discussed yet on this BBS as it seem like a pretty huge shift in the coalltion. Then again, I haven't seen much mention of the issue in mainstream US media.
"May 23, 2004
British fears on US tactics are leaked
By David Cracknell, Political Editor
A LEAKED Foreign Office memorandum has exposed deep misgivings within the British government over America’s “heavy-handed” behaviour and tactics in Iraq.
The document discloses for the first time the extent of private reservations within Tony Blair’s government about Washington’s approach.
It blows apart Blair’s public insistence that there are no differences between Britain and America over military tactics in Iraq.
Under the heading Problems, the memo says: “We should not underestimate the present difficulties . . . Heavy-handed US military tactics in Falluja and Najaf some weeks ago have fuelled both Sunni and Shi’ite opposition to the coalition, and lost us much public support inside Iraq.”
It adds: “The scandal of the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib (prison) has sapped the moral authority of the coalition, inside Iraq and internationally.”
The detailed memo, intended for senior ministers and top officials, talks of “the need to redouble our efforts to ensure a sensible and sensitive US approach to military operations”.
The memo acknowledges that Britain is struggling to get the Americans to adopt the more tactful approach that it wants and that there is a need to stop the United States doing anything “which would jeopardise our objectives”."
The rest of the article can be found here.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,1-1120343,00.html"Blair wants Nato to take control of southern Iraq"
The article can be found here.
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/23/nirq23.xmlThanks
http://www.osirp.org
